A Better City

"From our perspective, it’s not just an equity issue, but it’s also an economic competitiveness issue. Anything that allows more people to ride the system is a really great investment."

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Governor Maura Healey
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
MassDOT
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - MBTAA

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Shannon Larson

‘It’s going to transform lives’: After years of advocacy, low-income MBTA riders now eligible for half-price fares - The Boston Globe The debut of the long-awaited reduced-fare program expands access to more than 60,000 residents across Massachusetts’ transit system.

“If you overlay Boston’s heat maps with maps of formerly redlined neighborhoods, it’s pretty striking, the overlap that’s there and the correlation that’s there,” said Isabella Gambill, the assistant director of climate, energy, and resilience at A Better City.

How the racial wealth gap stokes the summer’s heat waves Boston is one big “urban heat island,” but within the heat island there are even hotter regions, and those areas are disproportionately formerly redlined communities with mostly Black, Latino and Asian residents.

In today’s CommonWealth Beacon, A Better City’s Kate Dineen and Conservation Law Foundation’s Bradley Campbell say the time is now for the I-90 Allston project.

Time is now for Allston I-90 project The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project could be described as a MassDOT highway project—yet it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect the Allston community and to deliver transformational transportation options, unprecedented development opportunities, and critical environmental benefits f...

Don't miss A Better City President & CEO Kate Dineen discussing the transformational benefits of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project with NBC10 Boston's Matt Fortin.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/how-could-the-plan-to-shift-the-mass-pike-transform-bostons-allston-neighborhood/3273150/

How could the plan to shift the Mass. Pike transform Boston's Allston neighborhood? A nearly two-billion-dollar project could transform Boston’s Allston neighborhood by shifting the Massachusetts Turnpike, adding a transit station and connecting the area to the Charles River, and officials are hopeful that a federal grant is awarded to help propel more momentum. It’s called the...

The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project will reconnect the Allston community and deliver transformational transportation options, unprecedented development opportunities, and critical environmental benefits for Boston, Worcester, and beyond. The time is now!

Thank you to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Governor Maura Healey, State Representative Mike Moran, Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 BPDA Chief Arthur Jemison, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tim Murray, Conservation Law Foundation President Brad Campbell, and I-90 Allston Task Force & People's Pike Member Jessica Robertson for your support and leadership!

I-90 Allston Multimodal Project: The Time is Now This is "I-90 Allston Multimodal Project: The Time is Now" by A Better City on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

letsexploreboston.com

In 2023, A Better City amplified the voices of the business community to advance the policies and projects needed to strengthen Greater Boston’s economic competitiveness and build a better region for all. Check out our 2023 Year in Review! 🚇🌳🏙️

http://tinyurl.com/yckda86x

Congratulations to today's PowerCorpsBOS building operations graduates and thank you to Mayor Michelle Wu, Worker Empowerment Cabinet - City of Boston, Environment Boston, and Roxbury Community College for their commitment to building the green workforce and green economy of our future!

Thank you to our members & partners for stepping up to provide real-word training & employment opportunities: Equity Residential, Related Beal, ABM Industries, BioMed Realty, Schneider Electric, Boston University, C&W Services, Northeastern University & more!

A Better City's work has been made possible by generous support from the Linde Family Foundation and the Barr Foundation.

Earlier this week, A Better City convened the region's civic and business leaders at the Boston Harbor Hotel for the annual Norman B. Leventhal Excellence in City Building Awards. Named in memory of A Better City’s founding director, the Norman B. Leventhal Awards recognize the leaders and innovators who have made significant contributions to our built environment.

This year, A Better City honored a particularly impressive slate of civic leaders and visionaries that are continuing to build a better city for all: Kathy Abbott, President and CEO of Boston Harbor Now; Rick Dimino, President Emeritus of A Better City; Alex Krieger, Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Principal at NBBJ Design; and Theodore (Ted) Landsmark, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy & Urban Affairs and Director of the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.

It was an incredible evening to celebrate, to reflect, and to redouble our respective efforts to improve the lives of others and the vitality of our region. Congratulations to our awardees and thank you to our generous sponsors for making this event possible!

Check our our event sponsors and full program here:
https://www.abettercity.org/news-and-events/events/norman-b.-leventhal-awards

ICYMI: Check out A Better City’s perspective in ’s latest piece for ! We think there oughta be a law to give the the tools & resources needed to get the system back on track—do you agree?

21 Ways to Fix the MBTA in 2023 Boston’s public transit system is on the verge of disaster. Here's what to do.

The will be closed from July 5, 2023 until August 31, 2023. If you are traveling in this summer, and consider the many available public transportation options such as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - MBTA or the MBTA Commuter Rail at http://mass.gov/sumner-tunnel.

ℹ️ https://mass.gov/news/massachusetts-department-of-transportation-announces-alternative-travel-options-ahead-of-sumner-tunnel-closure

It was a beautiful morning to explore the economic & mobility benefits of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project! Thank you to our speakers & panelists for the lively conversation about this transformative regional project.

We were fortunate to be joined by Rick Dimino, Doug McGarrah, Chief Arthur Jemison, Tim Murray, Jeanne Pinado, and Jessica Robertson, as well as respondents Senator Will Brownsberger, Councilor Liz Breadon, and Stacy Thompson.

To learn more about the economic benefits of the project, check out our report with AECOM!

www.abettercity.org

Plan ahead & ditch the drive during the Sumner Tunnel closure!

Travel alternatives include: free Blue Line, free & discounted ferry trips, new ferry service to/from Lynn, reduced Commuter Rail fares, & additional options for Logan Airport.

Alternative Travel Options During Sumner Tunnel Closure | MBTA Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.

“More and more people are realizing that the is a viable commuting option and that is a wonderful change.” - Kate Dineen, President & CEO via

‘Way more consistent and faster’: As T struggles, commuter rail gains - The Boston Globe Last month, commuter rail ridership peaked at 80 percent of its pre-pandemic levels and, on average, 94 percent of trains arrived on time. And on the weekends, the number of riders on commuter rail has exceeded pre-pandemic levels for nearly two years.

NEW: What’s extreme heat and what are our local organizations and institutions doing to help support community heat resilience in Boston? Read our new primer and cases studies to learn more!

Our extreme heat primer explains the threats extreme heat poses to Greater Boston as well as opportunities for businesses and institutions to advance community heat resilience.
https://tinyurl.com/bdzm2zs6

Our case studies showcase some of the actions that A Better City members and partners are taking to help protect our communities, safeguard critical infrastructure, and bolster our regional economy in the face of extreme heat.
https://tinyurl.com/wfvw4tsj

Thank you to the City of Boston and Green Ribbon Commission for their leadership and to Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Green Roots, C-HEAT Project, Museum of Science, Mystic River Watershed Association and Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW) for sharing their vision and collaboration.

Our incoming President & CEO Kate Dineen is thinking big! Learn more about some of her top priorities in today's Boston Business Journal.

New CEO of A Better City is eyeing some 'big, aspirational projects' - Boston Business Journal Come April, Kate Dineen will be in charge of the business group A Better City. "Some of these really big-ticket capital projects that need to happen ... could be anything from the transformation of the commuter rail, to the Red-Blue connector."

A Better City's Board is pleased to announce a transition to successfully advance organization operations: longtime executive Rick Dimino will transition to President Emeritus of the Board and current EVP & COO Kate Dineen will serve as President & CEO.

After long ride atop A Better City, Rick Dimino is handing over the steering wheel - The Boston Globe Longtime head of prominent downtown business group is stepping down.

Exciting news! has awarded a $1 million Travel and Tourism Season Extension Grant for a collaborative project led by in partnership with and .

The three partners will conceptualize and execute a marketing campaign aimed at increasing tourism travel to the region of Downtown Boston between the months of November and April. The campaign will focus on a New Englander truth: Boston is always in season.

“Through collaboration, creativity, and community building, this campaign will bolster the vibrancy of Boston by highlighting the people, organizations, and spaces that help to make our downtown more inviting and exciting. Anchored by our renowned cultural institutions, hotels, restaurants, retail, and of course the Greenway and Public Market, Boston is a world-class destination any time of year," said A Better City's Rick Dimino.

Learn more here:https://bostonpublicmarket.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/MOTT-Grant-Press-Release-final.pdf

Thrilled to kick off the PowerCorpsBOS building operations pilot with Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭, Worker Empowerment Cabinet - City of Boston, Environment Boston, Roxbury Community College to help build the green workforce and green economy of our future!

Thank you to our members and partners for stepping up to provide real-word training and employment opportunities: Beacon Capital Partners and operator partner Newmark, Boston Federal Reserve Bank, Brigham and Women's Hospital, C&W Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, JLL, Massachusetts General Hospital and more.

A Better City's work has been made possible by generous support from the Linde Family Foundation and the Barr Foundation.

Mayor Wu Announces New PowerCorpsBOS Career Pathway in Building Operations Today, PowerCorpsBOS joined A Better City and Roxbury Community College (RCC) for an orientation event to receive an overview of the newest PowerCorps building operations career pathway, skills to support the transition to energy efficiency and carbon reduction in Boston buildings. This program is a...

Check out the new "Reimagining Regional Mobility" report by & , which offers a roadmap for the to advance electrification, achieve better frequencies, & address key environmental justice concerns.

www.abettercity.org

In 2022, A Better City worked alongside many of you to tackle some of Greater Boston’s most pressing challenges—from energy and environmental issues, to land use concerns, to transportation needs. Check out our 2022 Year in Review!

https://bit.ly/3W3Vsc5

www.abettercity.org

Should MA expand tolling to alleviate traffic congestion? In 's "The Argument," 's own Tom Ryan says "yes"! Learn how tolling can reduce traffic, improve air quality, enhance transit, & more...and vote yes in the poll!

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/06/metro/argument-should-massachusetts-expand-tolling-alleviate-traffic-congestion/

The Argument: Should Massachusetts expand tolling to alleviate traffic congestion? - The Boston Globe Read two views, then vote in our poll below.