Fixing Boston's Broken Development Process: Why and How to Abolish the BPDA

As Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation, Michelle has had a window into Boston’s broken development process. Through conversations with residents and developers, public hearings on proposed projects, and meetings with civic leaders and neighborhood associations, it’s become clear that we’re not planning for our best future. In October 2019, Michelle released a report titled “Fixing Boston’s Broken Development Process: Why and How to Abolish the BPDA,” which argues that we must return assets to City oversight, end urban renewal, empower a planning dept to create a master plan for updated zoning and clear, consistent rules.

Instead of delivering the resources to address our most urgent challenges, Boston’s development process is making our problems worse. We’re more and more anxious about rising home prices and rents, frustrated daily by increasingly awful commutes, and scared about the flooding and extreme heat that intensify every season. We are a city of tremendous resources, and we can chart a better path forward by leaving behind outdated structures and removing barriers to participation, so that Boston’s development process doesn’t just work for the big developers and the wealthy and politically-connected. If we want to build a Boston for everyone, then everyone should have a say in shaping it.