New stations for the Fairmount rail line in Boston has made its surrounding neighborhoods targets for redevelopment by community organizations, which may rebuild up to a dozen properties.
"The Fairmount improvements could be particularly crucial in the neighborhoods along the line, which include some of the city's poorest.
'We are looking for the benefits of economic development near the stations,' said Marvin Martin, executive director of the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition. 'History has shown that transit coming in has always been a catalyst to economic development.'
The development proposed for the Four Corners neighborhood involves replacing an old industrial building with 24 cooperative apartments above first-floor shops. The developer, the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, also wants to build apartments with a retail presence on the site of an old garage on Talbot Avenue. Both would be short walks to the new stations."
FULL STORY: New commuter rail stations will fit neighborhoods to a T
MBTA to Electrify its First Commuter Rail Line
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will electrify the 9 mile Fairmount Line, the shortest of their 12 commuter rail lines, using battery-electric multiple units. The first BEMU trains are projected to be operating in early 2028.
Boston Transit Ridership Grows Steadily
Ridership on the region’s commuter rail reached 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels in March.
Transit Plans Change as the Pandemic Lingers
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this week proposed cuts to public transit service. In a decision that will likely repeat as more transit agencies undertake similar processes, the MBTA decided to prioritize buses over trains.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions