Neighborhoods for all
Watch Planning Board member Niko Bowie's comments about zoning injustice!
It's time to end exclusionary zoning in Cambridge.
On about a third of the residential land in Cambridge, building new apartment buildings is prohibited by zoning. On almost all of the residential land in Cambridge, any new housing is required to come with parking spaces. When these rules were created in the 20th century, they locked in a racist, classist status quo. Today, these rules encourage wasteful land use, produce more expensive housing, and help keep the city economically and racially segregated.
We're trying to change that. We're submitting a zoning petition to City Council that will make it possible to build "missing middle" housing (fourplexes, triple-deckers, townhouses) on any street in the city, and put an end to the legal barriers that have kept working people and minorities out. The petition will also end mandatory parking requirements for new housing - putting Cambridge on the path towards more sustainable land use patterns and more walkable neighborhoods.
Support the petition today and join the campaign!
mmh-narrative-Mar24.pdfjargon-free-flier.pdfLearn More
mmh_amendments_PB_FINAL_0504.pdfSuggested amendments, with explanations. (New May 10th)
mmh_amdt_slides_0511.pdfFurther explanation of the suggested amendments. (New May 10th)
Cambridge's zoning history is a history of exclusion.
Housing policy is climate policy.
Understanding how dimensional standards affect housing feasibility.
We cannot solve our housing crisis without zoning reform.
Additional resources:
Feb17-Hearing-MMH-Statement.pdfExternal Resources
"The State of Zoning for Multifamily Housing in Greater Boston", report by Amy Dain, 2019
"A Brief History of Zoning in Cambridge", report by Will MacArthur, 2019
Invisible Walls, a 90-second video by Sightline Institute, 2019