Affordability and Smart Growth

While affordability and smart growth are critical to creating inclusive and sustainable neighborhoods, current developer requirements often fall short of achieving true equity and housing accessibility. This section will explore the importance of addressing those gaps.

Existing Regulations and Efforts Towards Affordability and Smart Growth in Massachusetts

MBTA Communities Act: Enacted in 2021, it mandates that 177 cities and towns in Massachusetts served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) establish zoning districts that permit multi-family housing by right. This legislation aims to address the state's housing shortage by promoting higher-density development near public transit, thereby enhancing housing affordability and accessibility. Source
The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance promotes healthy and diverse communities, protects critical environmental resources and working landscapes, advocates for housing and transportation choices, and supports equitable community development and reinvestment. The Alliance works to draw investment back to existing urban centers and to foster more housing production that is walkable, transit-oriented, and affordable. Part of this work focuses on the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which provides an important local funding source for affordable housing (as well as open space and historic preservation). The Alliance also supports funding for the state match of local CPA contributions. Source. Successful case studies of affordable smart growth can be found here.

Health Impacts

Affordable housing and smart growth policies directly impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

Stable housing improves mental health: access to affordable housing reduces stress, anxiety, and instability, which are often linked to high housing costs.
Proximity to resources promotes wellness: smart growth emphasizes walkable neighborhoods and accessible public transit, encouraging active lifestyles and reducing car dependency.
Environmental benefits: reduced sprawl and compact development lower pollution levels, improving air quality, and reducing health risks.

Healthy Neighborhoods Study Partners

While current regulations alone are not enough to create equitable, affordable and smart growth, HNS partners are at the forefront of efforts to transform these challenges into opportunities.

Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE)

ACE is a neighborhood-based organization dedicated to environmental justice and transit-oriented development in Roxbury. They work with communities of color and low-income communities to build the power required to eradicate environmental racism and classism. Some of their key initiatives include:

Advocating for policies that address systemic inequities in housing affordability and accessibility.
Empowering residents to participate in decision-making processes that affect their neighborhoods.
Promoting transit equity as a means to connect communities to resources and opportunities.

Source

Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC)

CSNDC focuses on strengthening Boston's Dorchester neighborhood through affordable housing, economic development, and community empowerment. Their work includes:

Developing affordable housing that integrates energy-efficient and smart-growth principles.
Collaborating with local businesses to promote economic inclusion.
Engaging residents in planning processes to ensure equitable neighborhood development.

Source

Developer Responsibilities and What Residents Need to Know

Helpful policies and requirements:

Compliance with Inclusionary Development Policies: Developers must set aside a percentage of new housing units as affordable or contribute to the city's affordable housing fund. However, affordability thresholds often exclude the lowest-income residents and developers can opt out by paying into the fund, delaying the creation of affordable units and compromising location.
Community Engagement: Developers are required to hold public meetings to discuss projects. Meetings are sometimes scheduled at inconvenient times, or methods of calling for participation that do not reach the necessary audience are used, significantly reducing participation.
Green Building Standards: Developers are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices in their buildings. These practices often include energy-efficient designs, the use of renewable energy sources, sustainable materials, and achieving certifications such as LEED. While these efforts contribute to reducing a development's environmental impact, they also raise several concerns including the focus on market-rate and luxury developments, cost burdens that are passed to tenants, inadequate integration with affordability goals, and limited community involvement.

Resources

Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit by Smart Growth America

Smart Growth America Toolkit.pdf

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