Massachusetts
When Does Housing Become Sprawl?
Massachusetts wants "smart growth", but desperately needs new housing. Will growth controls be responsible for a chronic housing shortage?
Boston's MBTA To Introduce Smart Card Fare System
The new $120 million Smart Card system will be installed by July 2004 for subways and buses first and then expanded to include ferries and commuter rail.
Amtrak Begins Service Between Boston And Portland, Maine
The Amtrak Downeaster's first regular scheduled run was sold out and riders were enthusiastic.
Boston's Mayor Attempts To Spur Development In 'Crosstown'
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced a plan to encourage development in the "Crosstown Corridor"
Businesses Targeted To Carry Bulk Of Tax Load
Towns are trying to relieve the tax burdern for property owners by passing it on to businesses.
Kingston Rejects Growth Zoning Change
Plan to create Transit Orientated Development District (TOD) and refocus growth was rejected by voters at a special town meeting in Kingston, MA.
New Roads Bring Sprawl
Cities control land use; the state oversees transportation infrastructure. On Boston's Route 128 the result is sprawling growth.
Boston Tries Car Sharing
Boston transit officials are considering offering car-sharing services for residents seeking an alternative to owning a vehicle.
Massachusetts' Dirty Dozen
A Boston environmental group has published a non-scientific list of Massachusetts' "dirtiest dozen" firms.
Can Sustainable Design Mitigate The Effects Of Sprawl?
"Green Building" projects like the Charles River mall in Massachusetts hope to help preserve the environment, but some activists say it isn't enough to combat the effects of sprawling development.
Cambridge's $1.2B Smart Growth Community
North Point is a "once-in-a-century opportunity for courageous city planning."
MA Communities Treat Growth With Scrutiny
Concerned about being overrun by new subdivisions, Bolton, MA has adopted a decidedly phased growth approach.
Boston Neighborhood Wins Light-rail Restoration Fight
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection ruled that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) should restore streetcar service in Jamaica Plain.
Somerville: A Test Case For Smart Growth
Somerville is a test case for the proposition that a community can be committed to smart growth in hard economic times.
Rent Control's Comeback In Kingston, MA
Tenants in a mobile home community in Kingston, MA say rent control is the best tool to prevent huge increases in leases on their properties.
Property Taxes Rising In Massachusetts
In Massachusettts, property taxes for an average single-family home increased by 5.5 percent in 2001, according the numbers released by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Boston's South End Revival Ignores Middle Class
Boston's South End development was supposed to be mixed-income, but has left the middle class behind.
New Homes, Offices Near Boston's Big Dig Transform Area
New homes and offices near Boston's "Big Dig" project are reviving a waterfront district.
Time To Privatize Amtrak?
The return of Amtrak service between Maine and Boston is planned amid calls to privatize Amtrak.
Boston's First-ring Suburbs Are Hurting
The lure of newer, more-distant suburbs are luring residents from older suburban communities closer to Boston.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
