Katherine Levine Einstein
@katherineeinst.bsky.social
Political scientist at Boston University. Local politics; public policy; housing
Raising concerns about potential new schoolchildren, in contrast, may be less socially acceptable, especially in liberal MA communities.
March 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Raising concerns about potential new schoolchildren, in contrast, may be less socially acceptable, especially in liberal MA communities.
I think people at these meetings are also strategic and choose objections that they think are most likely to persuade decision-makers. Complaints about traffic lead to traffic studies. Concerns about flooding/environment may trigger environmental studies/regs.
March 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
I think people at these meetings are also strategic and choose objections that they think are most likely to persuade decision-makers. Complaints about traffic lead to traffic studies. Concerns about flooding/environment may trigger environmental studies/regs.
No MA upzoning-specific studies that I'm aware of, but lots of national evidence that transit-oriented development helps reduce traffic! Lexington might provide a nice empirical test once these 1,000+ units are built: www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/03/b...
In Lexington, the state’s housing law is on track to produce nearly 1,000 new homes - The Boston Globe
The suburb is perhaps an early sign that, at least in some communities, the law to make it easier to build apartments and condos is working as intended.
www.bostonglobe.com
January 15, 2025 at 8:23 PM
No MA upzoning-specific studies that I'm aware of, but lots of national evidence that transit-oriented development helps reduce traffic! Lexington might provide a nice empirical test once these 1,000+ units are built: www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/03/b...
As with the Northborough property, communities sometimes make these exclusionary purchases using state resources through the Community Preservation Act. We highlight this example (and others) of the weaponization of public land (and waste of public $$) in our report:
www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/...
www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/...
www.tbf.org
January 6, 2025 at 1:32 PM
As with the Northborough property, communities sometimes make these exclusionary purchases using state resources through the Community Preservation Act. We highlight this example (and others) of the weaponization of public land (and waste of public $$) in our report:
www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/...
www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/...
We just coded whether the towns used CPA funding or not to purchase land that blocked housing development (almost always a Chapter 40B). We didn't look into whether they were using the 10% that is supposed to be earmarked for housing (though I would guess not).
November 26, 2024 at 7:47 PM
We just coded whether the towns used CPA funding or not to purchase land that blocked housing development (almost always a Chapter 40B). We didn't look into whether they were using the 10% that is supposed to be earmarked for housing (though I would guess not).
That's so kind, thank you!
November 26, 2024 at 5:39 PM
That's so kind, thank you!
What's especially wild is that the state recognized that lawsuits were a big problem for housing in the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, and made abutter appeals reform part of the law. But, the state is pursuing the exact opposite approach with its climate "permitting reform" and subsidizing lawsuits.
November 26, 2024 at 5:38 PM
What's especially wild is that the state recognized that lawsuits were a big problem for housing in the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, and made abutter appeals reform part of the law. But, the state is pursuing the exact opposite approach with its climate "permitting reform" and subsidizing lawsuits.
Link to our peer-reviewed book on this topic here: www.cambridge.org/core/books/n.... We're also doing follow-up research exploring how local permitting processes and administrative burdens hinder clean energy implementation.
Neighborhood Defenders
Cambridge Core - American Government, Politics and Policy - Neighborhood Defenders
www.cambridge.org
November 26, 2024 at 5:13 PM
Link to our peer-reviewed book on this topic here: www.cambridge.org/core/books/n.... We're also doing follow-up research exploring how local permitting processes and administrative burdens hinder clean energy implementation.
Thank you! Our policy report is here: www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/.... We include some suggestions on the CPA, among other policy areas. We're also working on an academic paper based on these data, but that process is slower.
www.tbf.org
November 25, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Thank you! Our policy report is here: www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/.... We include some suggestions on the CPA, among other policy areas. We're also working on an academic paper based on these data, but that process is slower.
These are the 13 instances we were able to identify in the report. If you know of any others, let us know!
November 25, 2024 at 2:06 PM
These are the 13 instances we were able to identify in the report. If you know of any others, let us know!