Sustainable Growth Patterns
MetroFuture builds on the region’s unique development patterns, with a balanced mix of urban communities, built-up suburbs, and low-density towns. Population and job growth will be concentrated in developed areas already served by infrastructure, with slower growth in less developed areas where infrastructure is more limited. Instead of being dispersed across the region, new homes are focused in areas that can meet the needs of new residents. No one type of community would shoulder a disproportionate share of growth.
New growth will be balanced to reinforce the region’s strong patterns of development and open space. The region’s urban communities would be home to more of the region’s new residents, and roughly half of all new housing units. This means not only the cities and streetcar suburbs of the Inner Core, but also Regional Urban Centers such as Beverly, Salem, Framingham, Marlborough, and Norwood. Urban areas benefit from existing infrastructure and they demonstrate great potential for new growth through reuse of existing buildings and developed land. They also represent a more sustainable form of development due to energy-efficient housing types and compact development patterns that are readily served by transit. Roughly half of all new homes would be located in urban communities. An increased supply of urban “starter homes” (condominiums, two families) would help to attract and retain young professionals and their families. Many more people would find it attractive to live in urban areas, with high quality schools; easy access to shops, services, jobs, and culture; nearby parks and playgrounds; and a feeling of safety. Improvements to city life would benefit both current and new residents, and households at risk of displacement would find more programs to help them stay in their homes or to find new housing opportunities throughout the region.
Suburban municipalities would see growth focused into existing residential and commercial centers, and away from undeveloped areas. Those Developing Suburbs that have seen runaway population growth straining environmental and municipal systems would generally see much slower increases. Maturing Suburbs would preserve their dwindling supply of open space through the reuse of already-developed commercial and industrial land. Some towns would see more growth than if Current Trends continues, others less. Lower-density towns would capture much less economic development; but their municipal bottom line would not suffer for it, due to lower expenses and more diversified revenue options.
Urban neighborhoods, town centers, streetcar suburbs, shopping centers, and other areas commonly considered “built out” would see considerable new growth through sensitively designed compact growth that creates new vitality and housing choices. Throughout the region, most new growth will occur through reuse of previously developed land and buildings, in ways that fit into the context. Developments would range from small “infill” developments and building reuse in town and village centers to large scale redevelopment of industrial areas, strip malls, surplus state land, or decommissioned federal properties. Historic buildings would be reused for residential or commercial uses, and property owners would add additional capacity to buildings through additions or accessory apartments. Property owners will find strong incentives to convert outmoded properties, such as strip malls and industrial sites, to higher and better uses. As they do, municipalities will see higher tax revenue without the loss of open space or the need to extend infrastructure into new areas. Redevelopment will happen expeditiously thanks to well-defined community expectations and new infrastructure financing tools. Communities will have more resources to deal with eyesores and abandoned or contaminated properties. As brownfields and other polluted sites are cleaned up and re-used for development or parks, their reuse will have a positive ripple effect nearby; the public sector investments in these ‘keystone’ properties will generate private sector investment in surrounding properties.
Throughout the region, different locations are more or less suited for compact growth, due to variations in land use, infrastructure, and the environment. Traditional town and village centers, with their compact arrangement of businesses and homes, are often excellent places to focus new growth so that new residents live closer to shops, services, and transit. MetroFuture reinforces these growth patterns, in order to preserve open space and increase efficiency; in suburban municipalities, most new growth will occur near town and village centers. Because suburban towns are all different, this new growth would take different forms in different communities. Smaller towns might see new clusters of shops and small homes in or near village centers. Built-up suburbs would see more multistory mixed-use buildings (housing and commercial) in town centers and along commercial corridors. Where the opportunities present themselves, large scale reuse of industrial, commercial, or surplus public land would create a mix of housing, shops, and employment in new villages that take their cues from traditional New England town centers.
Communities would control new compact growth through proactive planning and supporting land use regulations, defining how much growth they want, what type of growth they want, and what they want it to look like. With a permitting process structured to achieve these goals, each development proposal will be evaluated expeditiously on its merits, rather than being bogged down by lack of consensus about what is wanted.
In order to provide greater transportation choices for residents throughout the region, most new homes and jobs will be near train stops and bus routes, and new growth will be designed to promote transit use. Land and buildings near existing transit stations would be used to its utmost capacity, with the support of surrounding communities who recognize that people who live or work near transit drive fewer miles and create less congestion and pollution. Increase ridership will help support more frequent service, which will in turn increase the attractiveness of growth near transit, in a “virtuous cycle.” New growth would be easily accessible on foot, bike, or via new bus service, with buildings and homes clustered together, rather than separated by parking lots and roadways, and connected by safe and direct pedestrian routes.
As more growth occurs in existing neighborhoods, among town centers, and near transit, it will necessitate a new regional emphasis on high quality design that will help compact development enhance the region’s character and livability. New development will prioritize human-centered design, rather than car-oriented engineering. Safe and direct pedestrian paths, tree-lined streets, and smaller parking lots will make it easier to walk around, make connections, and enjoy the environment. There will be fewer ‘formula’ buildings of fast food and big-box stores as communities insist that new growth be designed to complement and reflect the surrounding areas. New growth will be more accessible to seniors and persons with disabilities; and will be designed to protect the health of people who live and work there.
With high quality design and a renewed focus on the historical centers that make the region distinctive, cities, towns, and neighborhoods will retain their sense of uniqueness and community character. Well-designed growth in cities and town centers will help to support local business districts, with their distinctive mix of local merchants. Stronger municipal finances will also help city and town governments to support efforts that build community, whether they are parades, libraries, festivals, or community centers. More moderate growth rates throughout the region will also help municipalities to avoid drastic population increases that can destabilize community character, not to mention the environment and municipal finance. Urban areas will become more vibrant, town centers will be more robust, and rural areas will retain their bucolic character.
Metro Boston is unique in the way that new and old are juxtaposed, and this mix of new and old would become stronger under MetroFuture. The region will welcome innovative, sustainable, and modern development in historic districts, recognizing that this growth will help to stem the greatest threat to the Metro Boston’s historic character—unplanned sprawl that obscures the region’s unique land use heritage and drains the life from traditional centers. Even as robust new growth occurs alongside (or within) historic buildings and places, historic resources will be preserved and enhanced. Vibrant cities, community-oriented suburbs, and bucolic landscapes will keep their integrity. New growth in city and town centers will create opportunities to bring historic structures alive through new uses, by harnessing well-planned public and private investments. Enhancement and reuse of historic resources will make city and town centers more interesting and attractive places to live and work. Residents will recognize that community character does not depend only on the legacy of the past, but on how communities proactively address change; obstructionism in the name of community character drives growth out of historic centers and into undeveloped areas.
With a shift in new growth to developed areas and a new emphasis on land preservation, the region’s landscape will retain its distinctive green spaces and working farms. There will be far fewer conventional 1 acre subdivisions that are responsible for most of the region’s loss of open space. Residents and visitors alike will enjoy our traditional New England landscape of farms and forests juxtaposed with compact clusters of development; and scenic roadways and vistas. As farmers respond to increased demand for locally grown food, more of them would be expanding, rather than selling their farms. The landscape would be dotted with wind turbines, symbol of a new era for the region.
The transformative nature of this land use plan requires a similarly transformative approach to the entire development and planning process. Today’s decision-making processes are often fragmented, reactive, and starved for resources; as a result, they yield uncoordinated growth that detracts from the region’s many strengths. Under MetroFuture, growth in the region will be guided by informed, inclusive, and proactive planning. There will be greater continuity from planning to development. Municipalities will take a long-term perspective on growth and will focus, not on how growth can be avoided or minimized, but on how it can be harnessed to enhance existing land use, resources, and community character. Considerations of climate change will take on a greater role in development and policy decisions, with regional efforts to guide growth and conserve energy. A collaborative approach to preventing damage from future disasters would help the region to be prepared for and resilient to natural disasters and climate change.
Metro Boston can only achieve its full potential if cities and towns work together and think like a region. The region cannot be sustainable or economic competitive without greater regional equity. Recognizing that the challenges ahead do not respect municipal boundaries, communities will work together to plan for growth and share resources. Municipalities would save money through collaboration. New modes of intermunicipal communication—both formal and informal—will help create a stronger regional identity.