Massachusetts
Will Massachusetts Form A Transportation Super Agency?
In an effort to save billions of dollars, the State of Massachusetts may merge the MBTA, the Highway Department, and the Turnpike Authority into what is being called the Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority.
The Return of the Cargo Trike
The New Amsterdam Project in Cambridge, Mass., recently debuted a fleet of pedal-powered cargo tricycles, aimed at clients who want to reduce their carbon footprint.
Preserving and Reusing Boston's Architectural Infrastructure
This article looks at some adaptive reuse projects that successfully preserve the beauty of Boston's late-nineteenth century infrastructure.
Big Dig Moves Congestion to Suburbs
Since its completion, Boston's Big Dig freeway project has succeeded in reducing congestion downtown, but new figures show the congestion has merely moved out of the central city into suburban areas.
Backyard Transformed Into Pocket Park
Downtown Nantucket has acquired a Main St. residents backyard in a prime spot for a pocket park. Landscape architect David W. Bartsch dug in to create an historically correct park style.
New Courthouse 'Breaks All the Rules'
Reporter Robert Campbell says that the new Springfield Courthouse designed by architect Moshe Safdie is 'one of the most inviting public buildings I've ever seen.'
Call for More Minority Architects
Reportedly, only 1.5% of architects are minorities--but while current black architects gain more respect, it is a good time to reach out to minority youth who might also want to go into architecture.
Boston's Other Big Dig
For the last ten years, the Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the bottom of Boston Harbor in an effort to make more room for larger cargo ships. Dredging is almost complete on the project.
Boston's Back Bay Fills In
The last empty lot in Boston's posh Back Bay neighborhood will soon be developed into a luxury, contextually appropriate, condominium.
MBTA's $190 Million Rail Car Gamble
MBTA is spending almost $200 million for 75 new rail cars from a South Korean company that has yet to sell its cars in the U.S., so rail experts have expressed doubts about the wisdom of this purchase for the troubled Boston T.
Boston Burdened by Surge in Homelessness
Unlike many other states faced with the challenge of housing its homeless, Massachusetts is mandated by law to do so. Unfortunately, Massachusetts is also faced with budget shortfalls, making solutions elusive.
Stalled Project Gets Money, Beats Odds
Capital may be tough to find these days, but the developers of a major downtown mixed-use project in Boston's Downtown Crossing district have received financing.
Fight Over Affordable Housing on the Vineyard
A small businessman on Martha's Vineyard is attempting to build affordable housing for his workers on the island, but neighbors aren't pleased. 'I don't want to feel like I'm in the city,' says one.
Suburbia and Pig Farms: It Stinks
The suburbs of Tewksbury, MA, a quaint New England town, have developed uncomfortably close to one of the largest pig farms in the state.
Facing the Question of Population Growth
The issue of population growth and its impact on society has been a taboo for decades. Neal Peirce jumps head first into this thorny issue.
New England's Football Mall
Football and shopping become one in New England, where the owner of the New England Patriots NFL team has built a $300 million mall and entertainment complex next to the stadium.
Boston's Largest Property Owner Going Green
Equity Office Properties Trust is undertaking major green renovations for its Boston properties, citing fiscal benefits as the impetus. When complete, the work will likely serve as a model for the Company's holdings across the country.
Railroads Gaining Ground
Rail freight providers are ramping up as the cost of transporting a shipping container by truck becomes prohibitive.
Urban Gardens Taking Root in Post-Industrial City
The non-profit group Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Mass. has found urban agriculture a powerful community glue, providing increased food security and economic opportunity to the Puerto Rican population there.
Boston Moving Towards Bicycle Friendliness
After years of being ranked one of the worst bicycling cities in America, the City of Boston is moving forward with bicycle infrastructure development as a means to cutting congestion and pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
