Massachusetts
Need A Mortgage? Go Green
Green Mortgages, though in a nascent stage, aim to help buyers qualify for larger mortgages while reducing the impact of housing on the environment. Will it work?
Delayed Boston Tunnel Project Irks Residents, Local Officials
Citing the need for more public input, rebuilding Boston's Storrow Drive tunnel is going to take longer than expected. Local residents and officials raise concerns about safety risks and rising costs.
HOV Lanes: A 'Big' Waste Of Money?
Two HOV lanes on I-93 built as part of the Big Dig sit largely unused two years after the project opened.
Insurers Abandon New England Coast
Hurricane threats are causing insurers to retreat from coastal areas in Massachusetts and around New England, leaving many looking for alternative protection.
A Working Class Neighborhood Battle With Foreclosure
In the struggling city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, sub-prime mortgage foreclosures are threatening the community's stability and the longterm viability of the city's minority and working class neighborhoods.
Toll Roads Struggle To Gain Political Consensus
Pressure is building to come to a decision about whether or not to toll roads in Massachusetts. But many politicians are opposed.
Mall Hybrids Expand Downtown Character
Enclosed malls are out of vogue, but new mall-condo hybrids are gaining popularity, and bringing what was once an exclusively "downtown" character out to the 'burbs.
On Common Ground?
Despite a recent wave of crime, the Boston Common continues to bring people together from all walks of life.
Boston's Russia Wharf Attracts New Development
The construction of a new office tower on Russia Wharf exemplifies an improving commercial real estate market in Boston.
Suburban Boston Lashes Out Against McMansions
Residents and planners are just about fed up with McMansions in the Bsoton suburb of Wellesley, and they are looking to impose strict regulations on housing size and give a residential board oversight on proposed houses.
Greenhouse gas emissions will be limited on Harvard's new Allston camopus
Harvard’s voluntary agreement is the first in the nation to legally bind a developer to reducing greenhouse gases beyond the current standards.
Boston Goes Bike-Friendly
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has announced a series of improvements to the city's bike network, angling it to become one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities.
Digital Mural: Landmark Or Visual Blight?
Along the Massachusetts Turnpike, WGBH's new digital mural is raising concerns over safety and visual blight.
A 'False Choice' For Boston's Back Bay
Planned construction on Storrow Drive yields a lose-lose situation for Boston's Back Bay neighborhood residents.
Urbanization Erasing New England Forests
Urbanization is threatening and consuming forests in New England more rapidly than in any other place in the nation.
Smart Growth Incentive Enables Zoning Changes
A Massachusetts smart growth incentive has enabled a Boston suburb to change its zoning laws to allow developers to build mixed-use developments without applying for special permits. Now other towns want in, but there might not be enough funding.
Why Cities Should Raise Their Parking Rates
Market-based pricing for street parking could help cities like Boston reduce congestion and raise badly needed revenue.
The World's Oldest Donut Shop
The owner of a historic 18th Century home near Boston is looking to preserve the building and give it a new life as a donut shop.
Building Restrictions Pit Builders Against City
City officials in a Boston suburb are once again trying to approve building restrictions that would cut down the size of new houses in the city. Builders' groups are lobbying the city to find a compromise.
Small Town Residents Uneasy About New Development
Residents in small-town, suburban Boston are on edge about the impending demolition of historic housing to make room for what they fear will be a national chain retailer -- a first for the town.
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
