 |
|
MAPC Matters
Grants, deadlines, events, opportunities, news, & resources from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
|
|
________________________________________________
In this issue:
|
 MAPC Events & News
|
|
South Shore Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Symposium
December 1
Norwell, MA
This one-day symposium will present an overview of potential climate change and sea
level rise impacts on the South Shore, tools and funding options available to
communities, and case studies of successful strategies used at the local level to
address these issues. The day will also feature a facilitated discussion of
opportunities to promote coordinated and cost-effective local, inter-municipal, and
regional resiliency initiatives.
To register and view the full agenda
click here
. Space is limited so please register early! $10 if registered by November 22, $15 after November 22. Registration ends November 28.
|
|
MAPC is Hiring!
We're looking for a Chief Housing Planner, Civic Web Developer, HR Manager, as well as an Economic Development Planner 1
Details here
.
|
|
Accessibility, Translation, Interpretation
Your participation is important to MAPC. Call 617.933.0700 for accommodations. Advance notice (10 days) is necessary for certain accommodations.
|
|
|
MAPC Executive Director's Report
|
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
.
|
MAPC Clean Energy Update
|
MPO Corner
Events and news from our partner in transportation planning
|
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) conducts federally-mandated transportation planning for Greater Boston. MAPC is one of 22 voting MPO members who endorse a long-term plan for transportation in the region, and then use this plan to allocate federal and state funds toward transportation projects and studies serving people who ride, drive, walk and bike.
|
|
Upcoming MPO Staff Visits to MAPC Subregions
MPO staff have been visiting MAPC subregions to start a conversation around transportation concerns and priorities and brainstorm ideas for future studies and projects for consideration in the MPO's Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Join us at SWAP in December or MAGIC in January:
- Sherborn: Tues, Dec. 13, 9:30am (SWAP)
- Concord: Thurs, Jan 5, 2:30pm (MAGIC)
MAPC posts meeting details at mapc.org/subregions. While we hope to see you this fall, this meeting is only the first of many opportunities to participate in the MPO's transportation planning. Discover more ways to participate in our calendar for federal fiscal year 2017.
|
|
Office Hours with MPO staff on Thursday
December 1
Office Hours have returned to offer opportunities for one-on-one conversation with MPO Staff. You can come into our CTPS offices any time between 1:30 and 3 pm to meet with us, or call us on the phone at 857.702.3687.
Please stop by to:
- Provide input into the MPO's transportation planning
- Discuss planned studies and projects or propose new ones
- Learn more about regional transportation planning and the programming of funds
The MPO plans to host office hours after the first MPO meeting of each month (usually held on the first Thursday). Learn more on the MPO's meeting calendar. |
|
Advisory Council to Hear from MassDOT about Dedicated Bus Lanes
December 14
At its December meeting, the MPO's Regional Transportation Advisory Council(Advisory Council) will hear from Scott Hamwey of MassDOT on prioritizing Greater Boston roadway segments for implementing dedicated bus lanes. The Advisory Council is an independent body whose primary mission is to generate broad and timely participation that brings viewpoints and advice on transportation planning to the Boston Region MPO. Meetings are always open to the public and are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Learn more on the MPO's meeting calendar.
|
Upcoming MPO Meetings to Include Presentation on Alleviating Bus Delays
December 1
December 15
This Thursday, December 1, the MPO will hear about the findings from a study exploring opportunities to alleviate bus delays, activities planned for 2017 in the on-going development of the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and proposed changes to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as part of Amendment One, which is currently under a 30-day public review. The MPO will also vote on proposed work programs to evaluate the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)'s fixed-route service, explore options for expanding access to transit on the Route 3 (north) corridor, map the Boston region's road network capabilities for freight transportation, and study roadway corridors that are experiencing safety and mobility concerns.
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.
|
Stay informed about the MPO's activities and related opportunities by subscribing to the MPO's e-mailing list, MPOinfo, our blog/e-newsletter, TRANSREPORT, and our Twitter account, @BostonRegionMPO.
|
MAPC-Related Deadlines and Opportunities
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
Boston Region MPO Community Transportation Technical Assistanc
e (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
.
|
|
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
.
|
DCR Partnership Matching Funds Program
|
|
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
.
|
MAPC Staff Picks
Smart-Growth-Related Events, Deadlines, & Opportunities Outside of MAPC
|
|
MBTA Overnight Bus Service Survey
The MBTA is considering offering overnight bus service in Boston and surrounding communities.
The MBTA, City of Boston, City of Cambridge, and the advocacy group TransitMatters have partnered to better understand the needs of those traveling overnight in and around Boston. Take the survey here. |
|
Ride Match
GATRA
Finding a ride just got easier!
Ride Match, the searchable, online transportation database developed by
GATRA, is expanding to be a statewide resource. As part of the expansion, GATRA hired Odonnell Company to create a more user-friendly website and a new logo to reflect the expanded scope.
Visitors to the
updated site will find it easier to use than the old version. For example, users no longer have to know the counties they are traveling from or to - only the city or town. In addition, the new website offers multi-language support.
|
|
2016 Massachusetts Health Impact Assessment Training Series Conference
December 8
Boston, MA
Join us for a free full day Health Impact Assessment (HIA) conference for practitioners looking to move the field forward in Massachusetts. Participants will discuss:
- The state of HIA practice in MA
- Examples of Massachusetts HIA case studies and their impacts, and,
- An agenda to advance HIA practice in Massachusetts
This full day conference is NOT an HIA training, but will build upon information gathered from three regional trainings designed to expose a wide variety of new stakeholders to HIA and generate potential topic ideas for HIA.
Register Here.
|
|
Congressman Moulton's 6th District Economic Development Federal Resource Forum
December 13
Join Congressman Moulton & senior representatives from federal agencies to learn about federal resources to support you efforts in the areas:
- Small Business Assistance
- Transportation and Housing Issues
- Coastal Resiliency
- Technology Innovation
|
|
Call For Workshops Is Now Open!
Deadline: December 16,2016
Creative Communities Exchange (CCX), New London, Connecticut
Workshops discuss the specific strategies and steps taken by creative economy initiatives. These initiatives leverage local creative assets and cross-sector partnerships for community revitalization and growth. They might include: downtown revitalization, artists and civic engagement, impact data collection, planning, zoning, space development, and generally fall under these themes:
- Leadership & Partnerships Organizational leaders building capacity within their organizations and communities through strong partnerships with local stakeholders.
- Heading Downtown Innovative events and projects that catalyze the creative community and draw visitors and life to the economic centers.
- Policy & Planning Programs that use information and cultural plans to implement policy and zoning decisions that affect all citizens of their local community.
- Sector Connector Model projects that use technology, networking, and training to enhance the capacity of the creative sector's connections to other sectors.
|
|
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.
|
|
Ecological Landscape Alliance
Newsletter
|
|
Boston Harbor Habitat Coalition
Newsletter
In this issue: A call for presenters at the HS Marine Science Symposium, upcoming events and opportunities, and grants.
Click here to read more
.
|
|
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Newsletter
In this issue: Walmart Leads on Hazardous Chemicals, Young Energy Professional of the Year, and more! Click here to read.
|
|
|
Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program
In this Issue:
Green Crab Investigations,
Free Grant Writing Workshop,events and more, read it
here
.
|
|
|
Photos from the Month
Photos from MAPC Events, Workshops, and Meetings
|
Photos from the Albion Arts Corridor kick-off meeting on November 18th. The event enabled MAPC to pilot some new interactive activities to collect feedback on the vision for the corridor and allowed us the tools to test the market viability of new arts and culture uses in Downtown Wakefield.
|
| A photo from the Revitalizing Downtowns Forum where attendees discussed the challenges and best practices for revitalizing Downtowns in the SSC subregion. |
|
|
|
|
