Retooling Redevelopment Authorities to Create Social Housing in Massachusetts

Cosponsored by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, and the Cambridge Community Foundation.

This is a hybrid event. Please select in person or livestream attendance during ticket selection.

Redevelopment authorities were created in the mid-20th century to carry out urban renewal projects, made possible through federal and state programs. Although these programs ended or were scaled back due to often controversial projects, in Massachusetts redevelopment authorities still exist and retain significant powers, including eminent domain. This has led housing advocates and policymakers to explore whether redevelopment authorities might be uniquely positioned to help cities and towns promote new social housing—mixed-income developments in which the public sector holds a lasting ownership stake.

Susanne Schindler and Becca Heilman will present the findings of a new Joint Center for Housing Studies report, which examines how redevelopment authorities in Massachusetts might support social housing. The research for the report was funded by the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, the Cambridge Community Foundation, and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, which examines how redevelopment authorities in Massachusetts might support social housing. A panel of practitioners and officials, moderated by Chris Herbert, will discuss the report’s findings and its implications for communities across the state.

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