General
TRANSPORTATION
- Automated Enforcement (HD.3705, Representative Michelle Ciccolo | H.2532, Representative Paul Tucker | S.1545, Senator William Brownsberger): “An Act relative to automated enforcement”, which the Senate came very close to passing last session, would allow municipalities to opt in to installing cameras that would issue tickets for violations for speeding, failure to stop at a red light, failure to stop at a school bus stop arm, blocking the box, and parking or driving in a dedicated bus lane. When enacted in other states, automated enforcement has reduced speeding and serious crashes. More than 400 communities in the U.S. use red light cameras, and more than 130 use cameras to enforce speed laws.
- Arterial Roadway: Arterials are a type of roadway designed to deliver traffic between urban centers and freeways at high speeds (Source). For example, one arterial in Boston is the Riverway. Please see this map of arterials in Metro Boston for more information.
- Bus Priority Infrastructure: Bus priority infrastructure is designed to improve bus service and may include features such as dedicated and shared bus and bike lanes, queue jumps, transit signal priority, and platform level boarding. (Source)
- Civilian flaggers: While police details are often required for construction projects and open streets events, communities have shown success by instead staffing community members to do this work. (Source)
- Coalition Statement on Gov. Baker Administration’s Road Safety Legislation: Read here.
- High-crash intersections: Several modes of transportation tend to collect at busy intersections, which can create many points of conflict if the intersection is not designed properly. Please see Boston’s crash map for more information.
- Mandatory parking minimums: Parking minimums are local laws that require private businesses and residences to provide at least a certain number of off-street parking spaces. (Source)
- Mode shift: Mode shift refers to making the switch from driving as a main form of transportation to more sustainable methods like biking, walking, or public transit. (Source)
- National Transportation Safety Board Aims to Reduce Speeding-Related Crashes, July 25, 2017: “The recommendations to the states—to remove barriers to the use of automated speed enforcement—are based on the findings that it is an effective but underused countermeasure.” (Source)
- Parking Study: The purpose of a parking study is to enhance knowledge about parking availability or utilization in a district and explore options for development and access to economic, educational, and recreational opportunities. It involves conducting and analyzing a parking survey of a specific area to identify next steps. (Source)
- Protected bike lane: bikeways that are at street level and use a variety of methods for physical protection from passing traffic. May be combined with a parking lane, planters, curbs, or another barrier between the bike lane and the motor vehicle travel lane. (Source: National Association of City Transportation Officials)
- Rightsizing roads: (formerly called “road diets”) the strategy of narrowing roads to manage vehicle speeds through design; this also provides more space to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and/or add transit infrastructure.
- Traffic calming measure: uses physical design to improve safety for people walking, using mobility assistive devices, biking, and driving.
- Vision Zero: a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities. (Source)
HOUSING
- Inclusionary Zoning: Policies that require or incentivize developers to designate a portion of new housing units as affordable for households making low or moderate incomes in exchange for density bonuses, allowing developers to build more market-rate housing than they would otherwise be allowed. (Source)
- Parking Requirements and Foundations Are Driving Up the Cost of Multifamily Housing: “A key question we address in this piece is whether and how zoning reforms that reduce minimum parking requirements could lower the cost of building apartments.” Read here.
Boston
TRANSPORTATION
- Allston I-90 Interchange: For more context about this project, please click here.
- Better Bike Corridors: Better Bike Corridors is a Go Boston 2030 initiative that calls for the redesigning and rebuilding or reallocating space on streets to include protected and low-stress bicycling facilities. These projects will aspire to make bicycling a safe, comfortable, and convenient choice for more of Boston’s residents and visitors. Better bike lanes go beyond traditional bike lanes, which are painted on the street between moving and parked cars. The city will pursue more priority routes with bike lanes that are separated from moving vehicles and on neighborhood streets that are retrofitted to slow traffic. (Source: Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan, page 152)
- Boston Vision Zero Progress Report: Vision Zero is a data-driven effort to eliminate serious and fatal crashes on city streets by 2030. This progress report, released by the MA Vision Zero Coalition, includes a summary and evaluation of the City’s progress in both 2019 and 2020, along with specific recommendations for how Boston can continue moving toward its goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030. (Source)
- Go Boston 2030: Boston’s comprehensive transportation plan aimed to build efficient, safe, and sustainable transportation networks throughout the city. For more context about this plan, click here.
- Neighborhood Slow Streets: The City of Boston’s approach to lowering speeds and improving street safety on smaller, less-busy, residential neighborhood streets in the City. The neighborhood streets within each Neighborhood Slow Streets area will have a speed limit of 20 mph — instead of the citywide 25 mph. We're also building design changes that address the most serious safety issues at crossings and intersections that have the highest concentration of crashes. (Source)
- Northern Avenue Bridge: For more context about this project, please click here.
- Rutherford Avenue: For more context about this project, please click here.
- South Boston Dorchester Ave (PLAN): For more context about this project, please click here.
- Sullivan Square: For more context about this project, please click here.
HOUSING
- Home Rule Petition: Former Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh signed the Home Rule Petition in an effort to support affordable housing in Boston. Under the Home Rule Petition, a fee of up to two percent of the purchase price will be implemented on the transfer of property that is valued over $2 million in Boston. (Source)
- Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030: Boston’s comprehensive housing plan designed to address the housing needs of the city’s growing population. For more context about this plan, please click here.
- Housing voucher program: The Project-Based Voucher Program allows low-income families to live in specific properties within Boston with subsidized rents. (Source)
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Inclusionary Development Policy: The Inclusionary Development Policy (the “IDP”), first created in 2000, requires that market-rate housing developments with ten or more units that are in need of zoning relief support the creation of income restricted housing through:
- The inclusion of income restricted units within the building (typically 13% of a development’s units),
- The creation of income restricted units at a location near their building; and/or
- Contributing to the Inclusionary Development Policy Fund.
(Source)
- JP/Rox (PLAN): For more context about this project, please click here.
- Landlord Sues to Stop Affordable Housing in Jamaica Plain. Again: “After settling a suit that delayed a Pine Street Inn project, Monty Gold is being joined by Turtle Swamp Brewing in an effort to scuttle apartments for senior citizens.” (Source)
- Suffolk Downs: For more context about this project, please click here.
- Zoning Code: The Boston Zoning Code is the set of rules by which the City’s neighborhood planning is implemented and dictates the allowed shape, density, and use of development in a given area. (Source)
Somerville
TRANSPORTATION
- Bus Network Redesign: For more context about this project, please click here.
- Environmental Justice Community: These communities are at a higher risk of environmental issues, related to public health and quality of life, and in MA are defined by several factors (Source). Based on the 2020 Census, over 64% of Somerville’s population lives in Environmental Justice block groups. (Source)
- Fiscal and Management Control Board: The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board closely monitors the T’s finances, management, and operations. On June 30, 2021, the FCMB's term expired. (Source)
- MassDOT Prioritizing Highway Project Before Safety Fixes At Somerville’s Most Deadly Intersection - StreetsblogMA: “...MassDOT officials shared...their plans to repair the steel structure and replace bridge joints on the I-93 viaduct above the junction of the Fellsway, McGrath Highway, and Mystic Avenue in East Somerville…Meanwhile, Somerville residents are still waiting for MassDOT to start a long-awaited and under-funded project to address serious safety hazards on the roadways beneath the viaduct, which is Somerville’s most dangerous area for traffic crashes.” Read more here.
- SomerVision 2040: Somerville’s Comprehensive Plan including the vision and goals for housing and transportation throughout the city over the coming decades. (Source)
- Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT): Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita is calculated as the total annual miles of vehicle travel divided by the total population in a state or in an urbanized area. (Source)
- Somerville’s 2020 Mobility and Safety Trend Data: Currently, Somerville only has 4 miles of on-street protected bike lanes. (Source, Slide 26)
- Somerville Complete Street Ordinance: The City of Somerville shall enhance the safety, access, convenience and comfort of all users of all ages and abilities, providing for equality in use between various modes of transportation. (Source)
- Somerville to be reimbursed $30 million for Green Line Extension: The City of Somerville is due a reimbursement of $30 million that it had put toward the MBTA’s Green Line Extension project. Additionally, Somerville was expecting to pay another $20 million that is no longer needed. (Source)
- Vision Zero Somerville 2020 Report Card: This report card assesses the City's progress towards achieving the 0 - 2 year actions during calendar year 2020, and describes key focus areas for Vision Zero work in 2021. (Source)
HOUSING
- Somerville Inclusionary Housing Program: Through this program, residential units become available to income-eligible households at below market rate. (Source)
- MBTA finds that the Green Line Extension will disproportionately benefit richer, whiter riders: “The forthcoming Green Line service into Somerville and Medford will disproportionately benefit higher-income, white riders.” Read here.
- Community Preservation Act (CPA): The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts state law (M.G.L. c. 44B) that enables adopting communities to create a dedicated fund for preserving open space and historic resources and expanding community housing and outdoor recreation opportunities. (Source)
- DHCD Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI): Somerville’s current SHI is 9.7%. (Source)
Cambridge
TRANSPORTATION
- Cambridge Bicycle Plan 2020: This plan provides the framework for developing a network of Complete Streets and supporting programs and policies that will help enable people of all ages and abilities to bike safely and comfortably throughout the city. (Source)
- Cambridge Cycling Safety Ordinance: The Cycling Safety Ordinance, passed in April 2019, made it a requirement to build protected bike lanes on streets in the Cambridge Bicycle Plan when they are being reconstructed according to the Five Year Sidewalk and Street maintenance plan. (Source)
HOUSING
- Cambridge Inclusionary Housing Program: Through the City of Cambridge’s Inclusionary Housing Program, income eligible households can access affordable rental and homeownership units in privately owned residential buildings. (Source)
- Envision Cambridge: The citywide plan provides a blueprint for the city’s growth and change through 2030, encompassing our core values and shared vision to make Cambridge a sustainable, inclusive, and connected community for generations to come. (Source)