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MAPC Matters
Grants, deadlines, events, opportunities, news, & resources from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
October 5, 2016
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In this issue:
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 MAPC Events & News
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Local Access Data Resource Launched
MAPC is pleased to announce the launch of
Local Access Score
, a new data resource designed to help cities and towns prioritize sidewalk and bike route improvements where they will be most useful.
It's clear that investments should be made where they can benefit the greatest number of users, but it can be difficult to determine the roadways that would be most useful if they were easy to bike or walk on. Local Access Score does just that. It shows how useful any given stretch of road in the Commonwealth could be -- with the right infrastructure -- for connecting residents with schools, shops, restaurants, parks, and transit stations.
Local Access Score is useful for planning and prioritization, pedestrian and bike assessments, maintenance and enforcement, and much more. Visit localaccess.mapc.org
today!
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Fall Council Meeting: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito Keynote
October 26 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel, Quincy
MAPC is honored to announce that Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito will be keynote speaker at our Fall Council Meeting on October 25. Please join us!
In addition to Lieutenant Governor's remarks, there will be welcoming words from Quincy's Mayor Thomas Koch, the 2016 MPO elections, and several updates and awards. The meeting will also feature staff presentations and information stations on five important legislative topics:
- Parking Advancements for the Revitalization of Communities (PARC)
- Municipal Collaboration and Regionalization
- Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE)
- Speed Limits
- Starter Home Zoning Districts
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MAPC Technical Assistance Program - Call for Project Concepts
Through this Call for Project Concepts, MAPC is soliciting ideas for projects that will commence in 2017. Municipalities can submit concepts for individual, community-specific projects and for multi-community projects. Direct calls for applications are generally released twice a year in the fall and spring. Awards are made on a rolling basis pending the availability of funding, with a batch of awards often made in the late fall and late spring of each year.
Eligible projects cover a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to: housing and economic development; regionalization and shared services; public safety; public health; smart growth; climate change; clean energy; equity; fair housing; equitable transit-oriented development (E-TOD); bicycle/pedestrian mobility; environmental and resource protection; creative community placemaking; and arts and culture planning.
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ArtPlace America National Creative Placemaking Fund Informational Session
October 13
MAPC, 60 Temple Place, Boston
ArtPlace America Director of National Grantmaking
F. Javier Torres will visit and share details about the program to encourage applications from Massachusetts. Register here
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Fast Forward
October 14
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
With illuminating presentations and lightning round panels, targeted discussions and policy recommendations, the Fast Forward conference is a must-attend to understand how our communities and policymakers can adapt to changes that are transforming transportation.
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Making I.T. Work
October 18
Sheraton Framingham Hotel, Framingham, MA
A half-day conference exploring how the Commonwealth's cities and towns are leveraging data and technology to improve operations and better serve residents. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA), Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, senior officials from Mass IT and DOR's Division of Local Services and the UMASS Boston Collins Center for Public Management. Click here to Register
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Citizen Planner Training Collective Fall Workshop Series
October 26
29 Middle Road, Boxborough
October 27
355 East Central Street, Franklin
November 2
Framingham Town Library
November 14
550 Hanover Street, Hanover
CPTC workshops are oriented toward planning and zoning board members as well as local professional planners. Subjects include subdivision control, 40B, zoning for solar, master plans, public records, and much more.
Register for a workshop here
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Community Aggregation PLUS Program
This spring, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) launched its version of municipal aggregation, the Community Electricity Aggregation PLUS program. Through the program, cities and towns can use aggregation to help build new renewable energy facilities while still achieving competitive electricity rates and price stability. The program offers our communities the use of a competitively procured consultant, Good Energy. Learn more about the program here
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Livable Communities Technical Assistance Workshops
Deadline: Rolling
Offered by the MAPC Transportation Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Livability Community Workshop (LCW) program's aim is to educate communities on how to incorporate livability concepts and to promote thinking about how design influences livability. LCWs can involve a broad range of topics. MAPC's 2016 workshops will focus chiefly (but not only) on parking, including zoning, parking management, pricing.
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MAPC is Hiring!
We're looking for a Community Engagement Specialist, Chief Housing Planner, Civic Web Developer, Regional Land Use Planners, HR Manager, Grant Management Coordinator, as well as a Government Affairs Specialist
Details here
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Accessibility, Translation, Interpretation
Your participation is important to MAPC. Call 617.933.0700 for accommodations. Advance notice (10 days) is necessary for certain accommodations.
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MAPC Executive Director's Report
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Every month, MAPC staff help the Executive Director compile highlights of the agency's work for an Executive Director's Report to present to the Executive Committee and Council.
Read the latest report here
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MAPC Clean Energy Update
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MPO Corner
Events and news from our partner in transportation planning
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MAPC is a voting member of the
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the 22-member board that conducts federally-mandated transportation planning for Greater Boston. The MPO creates and endorses a long-term plan for transportation in the region, and then uses this plan to allocate federal and state funds toward transportation projects and studies serving people who ride, drive, walk and bike. Learn more about the MPO
here
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MAPC Transportation Planners to Present at Upcoming MPO Meeting
October 6 and October 20
10 Park Plaza, Boston
Every federal fiscal year, the MPO allocates a portion of federal funding for transportation studies and analyses to MAPC. On Thursday, October 6th, MAPC's Eric Bourassa and other staff will present transportation planning efforts conducted by MAPC staff over the past 12 months. Topics include: right-sized parking, parking management, transit-oriented development, complete streets, and regional greenway planning. The MPO typically meets the first and third Thursdays of the month at the State Transportation Building Conference Rooms 2 and 3. We invite public attendance and post the agenda and materials a week in advance on the
MPO's meeting calendar
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Smart Parking at October's Advisory Council
October 12
10 Park Plaza, Boston
At its October meeting, the MPO's
Regional Transportation Advisory Council
(Advisory Council) will take an expanded look at Smart Parking, covering new technological and pricing strategies for improving parking. The Advisory Council is an independent body with a primary mission to generate broad and timely participation that brings viewpoints and advice on transportation planning to the Boston Region MPO. Meetings are always public and are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Guest speakers for October include Sarah Kurpiel Lee of MAPC, Jason Schrieber of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, and Bruno Lopes of the MBTA. Learn more on the
MPO's meeting calendar
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MPO Staff to Attend Focus40 Open House
October 13
2300 Washington Street, Boston
The MPO draws upon the MBTA's Focus40 outreach to inform federal investments in transit in its
Long-Range Transportation Plan
(LRTP). MPO staff will attend the next
Focus40 Interactive Open House
on October 13th, 5-8pm at the Bolling Building, 2300 Washington St. in Dudley Square. The MBTA's Focus40 planning had only just begun when the current LRTP,
Charting Progress to 2040
, was under development. Thus, the transit projects discussed at the open house will inform federal investments in transit between 2020 and 2045. Visit the
Focus40 website
for more information.
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MAPC-Related Deadlines and Opportunities
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MAPC Technical Assistance Program - Call for Project Concepts
Through this Call for Project Concepts, MAPC is soliciting ideas for projects that will commence in 2017. Municipalities can submit concepts for individual, community-specific projects and for multi-community projects. Direct calls for applications are generally released twice a year in the fall and spring. Awards are made on a rolling basis pending the availability of funding, with a batch of awards often made in the late fall and late spring of each year.
Eligible projects cover a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to: housing and economic development; regionalization and shared services; public safety; public health; smart growth; climate change; clean energy; equity; fair housing; equitable transit-oriented development (E-TOD); bicycle/pedestrian mobility; environmental and resource protection; creative community placemaking; and arts and culture planning.
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The Collaborative Workspace Program
Deadline:
Close of business on October 24, 2016
The state has released an RFP to support the development of innovation related spaces across the Commonwealth. The funds supports capital investments, fit-out and equipment, in new and growing innovation centers, maker spaces, artist spaces any beyond.
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Boston Region MPO Community Transportation Technical Assistance (CTTA) Program
Deadline: Rolling
The CTTA program, open to all 101 municipalities in the MPO region, provides municipal officials with technical advice on local transportation concerns such as traffic operations, safety, bicycle and pedestrian access, livability, parking, and bus stop locations. When evaluating requests for technical assistance, MPO and MAPC staff consider whether they can provide useful feedback on the municipality's particular issues and if they can do so in a financially modest, time-efficient manner.
Learn more about the CTTA program and application process here
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Community Compact
Deadline: Rolling
As many of you know, the Baker Administration's Community Compact program provides incentives and assistance for cities and towns to implement municipal best practices.
Among these best practices are a number of areas within MAPC's expertise, particularly energy and environment, housing and economic development, transportation and regionalization/shared services. We have provided technical assistance in these areas on hundreds of projects across the region in recent years and are eager to help our communities to develop Compact applications or provide assistance in implementing best practices.
Learn more about the Community Compact here
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DCR Partnership Matching Funds Program
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MAPC Staff Picks
Smart-Growth-Related Events, Deadlines, & Opportunities Outside of MAPC
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CZ-Mail
Newsletter
In this issue: Grants opportunities, Publications, Resources, and more! Click here to read the issue. |
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Environmental League of Massachusetts
Newsletter
In this issue: Climate Change Executive Order, Advocacy Training, The ELM Fall Reception, and more! Click here to read.
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Massachusetts Clean Water Toolkit Website
The Massachusetts Clean Water Toolkit serves as the state's primary public education resource related to nonpoint source pollution.
The Toolkit, developed for MassDEP by Geosyntec Consultants, includes sections focused on the major categories of nonpoint source pollution, 127 fact sheets on best management practices to reduce pollution, and a collection of "Interactive Scenarios" based on Massachusetts landscapes.
The Interactive Scenarios allow users to explore ways to reduce pollution and improve water quality in a variety of highly detailed landscapes that are typical in Massachusetts, including residential, agricultural, urban, roads, construction, and shoreline restoration.
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ACT TDM Forum
October 11, October 12
39 Dalton Street
Transportation and mobility is constantly evolving and innovating to address the challenges facing commuters in their journeys to work! To keep up with these changes, TDM programs and professionals most continue to adapt and plan for the future. Click here to sign up for the forum. |
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Strategic Municipal ADA Planning Workshop
Sponsored by Baystate Roads
November 3
Holiday Inn Taunton
November 17
Doubletree by Hilton Boston-Bedford Glen
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Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program
In this Issue: Mapping Eelgrass in Salem Sound, events and more. Read it
here
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Photos from the Month
Photos from MAPC Events, Workshops, and Meetings
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On September 19th MAPC invited the Metro Mayors Coalition on a Climate Preparedness Boat Tour of the Mystic River. The tour spotlighted flooding risks along the Mystic River and demonstrated the existing and projected vulnerabilities of the region, as a result of sea level rise and storm surge from climate change.
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| Photo of Seaport from the Metro Mayor Coalition's Climate Preparedness tour of the Mystic River. |
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