Madrid Presentation May 8

7/31/2019 Madrid Presentation May 8

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NeighborhoodSustainability in Fields

Corner, Boston

11.436 Greenhouse StudioMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Department of Urban Studies and PlanningTuesday, May 8, 2012


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OVERVIEW

EXISTINGHOUSING

NEW HOUSING

COMMERCIAL &ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC REALM


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OVERVIEW


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Our work since last time:

Completing research Developing interventions and strategies to recommend to

Viet-AID

Next steps: Final presentation to Viet-AID and other community

stakeholders

Written report for Viet-AID

OVERVIEW - THE FINAL STAGES OF OUR PROJECT


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Final Areas of Focus:

Existing Housing New Housing

Commercial and Economic Development

Streetscapes and Public Realm

Guiding Principles:

Environmental Health and Livability

Social Equity and Inclusiveness

Economic Opportunity

OVERVIEW - OF FOCUS & GUIDING PRINCIPLES


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Existing Housing:Improve the quality, comfort and energy

efficiency of existing housing stock to cut household costsand enhance livability.

New Housing: Assess opportunities for developing newmultifamily workforce housing that is high quality, energy

efficient, transit accessible and reasonably priced.

Commercial and Economic Development: Increase economicactivity in the commercial core and increase employment

and entrepreneurship opportunities for residents.

Public Realm: Promote sustainable modes of transportationand increased access and use of public space.

OBJECTIVES FOR AREAS OF FOCUS


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Existing Housing:Improve the quality, comfort and energy

efficiency of existing housing stock to cut household costsand enhance livability.

New Housing: Assess opportunities for developing newmultifamily workforce housing that is high quality, energy

efficient, transit accessible and reasonably priced.

Commercial and Economic Development: Increase economicactivity in the commercial core and increase employment

and entrepreneurship opportunities for residents;

Public Realm: Promote sustainable modes of transportationand increased access and use of public space.

OVERVIEW - INTERVENTIONS

Interventions

Existing Housing Short-term Work with tenants, landlords and Housing Code Enforcement

Division to address pressing housing quality issues. Increase involvement in existing housing quality improvement

and energy efficiency programs.Long-term Advocate for more stringent regulation of housing conditions.

Provide and manage information on housing quality issues totenants and landlords.

Assist in transferring ownership of renovated properties totenants.

Develop strategic roles in community energy efficiency.

New Housing Short-term Investigate and purchase suitable sites for workforce housing.

Long-term Develop new affordable housing. Explore new acquisition and financing strategies. Monitor neighborhood affordability indicators and other

housing needs.Commercial andEconomic Development

Short-term Develop strategic partnerships to enhance economicdevelopment service delivery.

Use the community space for business communityengagement.

Long-term Invest directly in commercial spaces. Develop programs for small business assistance. Develop programs for workforce development.

Public Realm Short-term Engage community groups in Fields Corner to start aconversation about streets and public spaces.

Work with local businesses, building owners, artists, and thecity to create more public art.

Promote "pop-up" gardening and other uses of vacant space.Long-term Lobby the city to improve bike and pedestrian circulation.

Lobby the city to create more green streets and public space.


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EXISTING HOUSING


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EXISTING HOUSING - OBJECTIVES

Environmental Health &

Livability Upgrade housing quality

Improve indoorenvironment and comfort

Improve public health Improve overall quality of

life of FC residents

In longer run, revitalizeresidential areas of FCand encourage greaterneighborhood pride

Social Equity &

Inclusiveness Engage landlords

Organize tenants

Address absentee

landlords problem Prevent gentrification and

displacement

Economic Opportunity

Improve energy efficiency

Reduce household energycosts

Increase household

discretionary income


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EXISTING HOUSING - KEY FINDINGS

Existing Housing Stock

Multifamily triple-deckers:54.8% are 3-or-4-unithousing.

Renter-occupied: 65.8%are rental units.

Outdated: more than halfwere built between 1900and 1910; two-thirds havenever undergonesubstantial retrofit or

maintenance. Low-quality: energy

auditors found thefollowing issues: outdatedwiring, moisture,

asbestos, combustion andstructural safety

Viet-AIDs Current Roles

Ensuring energy efficiencystandards in affordablehousing developments.

Partnering with existingenergy retrofit program

deliverers. Encouraging and assisting

FC residents to apply forexisting energy retrofitprograms.

Engaging landlords inenergy retrofit programs.


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EXISTING HOUSING - SHORT-TERM INTERVENTIONS

Housing Quality

Educate and organizetenants

Brochures and posters,cable TV and n/pcommunity meetings

Community organizers

Bus and walking tours toattract attention of largercommunity

Work with Landlords

Raise awareness

Rent abatement

Deduct from tenants rentthe cost of neededhousing repairs that canbe made at tenants

expense

Work with Housing CodeEnforcement Division

Collaborate with HCED toattract their attention tohousing quality issues inFC

Inquire tenants about

their housing qualityconcerns andcommunicate them toHCED (address languagebarriers)

Tap into existing housingquality programs in Boston

Breathe Easy

Healthy-Pest FreeHousing Initiative

Boston 3D Program


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EXISTING HOUSING - SHORT-TERM INTERVENTIONS

Improved Involvement in

Energy EfficiencyPrograms

Bridge: Raiseawareness amongresidents and assist them

in program application Use diverse outreach

channels: integration intocurrent educational andsocial activities

Engage landlords

through better targetedinformation: convincingprecedents inneighborhood, cost-freehome energyassessment, interest-freeMass Save HEAT Loan,

Ambassador:Disseminateinformation

among residents

Eliminate misconceptionsabout EE programs

Focus on owner-occupedtriple-deckers

Partner: Enhancecollaboration with programdeliverers

Collect feedback fromprogram participants and

communicate withprogram deliverers


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EXISTING HOUSING - LONG-TERM INTERVENTIONS

Housing Quality

Advocate forimprovements in existinghousing qualityregulations

Tracking persistentviolations andreinspections ofirresponsible landlords

properties

Tracking absenteelandlords

Collect data on andmaintain database ofhousing quality problems

Advocate for and assist intransferring renovatedproperties to tenantownership

Lobby for priority grantsand loans from thegovernment to supporttenant ownership

Assist in finance andoperations mechanismssuch as community land

trusts, limited equityhousing cooperatives,retention of subsidizedhousing, at housing trustfunds.


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EXISTING HOUSING - LONG-TERM INTERVENTIONS

Strategic Roles in

Community EnergyEfficiency

Platform: Provide one-stop community services

Incorporate information

about all availableprograms, compare andrecommend suitableprograms for specifichouseholds

Initiate meetings for

representatives fromdifferent programs

Establish a database ofparticipating households,pay return visits or calls

Leader: Advocate formore financial resourcesand institutional support

Participate in programdesign and development

Partner with otherstakeholders to advocate

for more resources

Envision a moreambitious model for

communityorganizationsparticipation andleadership in energyefficiency programs


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NEW HOUSING


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New affordable multifamily rental housing in Fields Corner

would support environmental health and livability, social equityand inclusiveness, and economic opportunity in the followingways:

Protect low-income Fields Corner renters from rapidly risingrents and displacement

Strengthen the commercial core and residential areas byactivating vacant and underutilized lots

Preserve access for low-income renters to environmentallyfriendly and affordable modes of transportation

Increase economic opportunity, savings, and health byreducing housing and transportation costs, and improvinghousing quality, for low-income renters

Increase civic engagement among low-income FieldsCorner renters by providing stable homes free from

displacement pressures and other strains that can lead to

NEW HOUSING -- RATIONALE


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NEW HOUSING KEY FINDINGS

Unaffordable Fields Corner:

Rapidly rising rents due toincreasing demand

Incomes falling, povertyrising

The rate of severe rentburden nearly doubledbetween 2000 and 2010, to38% of renting households

Low-income households

make up 69% of rentinghouseholds, but 90% ofrent-burdened households

New affordable housing

would serve incomes

already well represented inthe neighborhood

$24,800

$41,350$49,620

$58,000

$32,000


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NEW HOUSING KEY FINDINGS

Site analysis methodology

Improvement/land ratio Minimum parcel size

Parcel ownership

Current uses on site

Suitability for housing Site visit

Findings

Many suitable sites, someof which are available forpurchase

Significant neighborhood-level impact is possible


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NEW HOUSING - INTERVENTIONS

Viet-AID has developed 72

energy-efficient, transit-accessible affordablehousing units, and 27 areunder construction.

Short-Term Steps:

Investigate sites we identifyas most suitable, andexplore purchase options.Seek partnerships ifappropriate.

Long-Term Steps: Developnew affordable housing.Explore new acquisition andfinancing strategies. Monitor

affordability indicators andother housing needs.


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COMMERCIAL &ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT


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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - RATIONALE

Environmental Health & Livability: Provide residents with

nearly all of their daily goods and services needs in a safeand attractive commercial area in their neighborhood, thusreducing car travel and increasing pedestrian activity.

Economic Opportunity: Provide entrepreneurship andemployment opportunities that build up residents skills and

provide sustainable sources of income. Social Equity and Inclusiveness: Help local businesses and

residents, who are primarily lower-income and minority, takepart in regional growth and prosperity.


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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - KEY FINDINGS Commercial Core:

More than 150 smallbusinesses;Multi-ethnic cluster

Businesses Assistance:Many programs around

Boston; Viet-Aid hasprovided some vocation-specific programs

Local Workforce:Most residents work inservices, manufacturing,transportation, construction

Retail businesses by number of employees


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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT KEY FINDINGS

Commercial Core:

High vacancy and somepoor building conditions,despite likely unmetdemand

Businesses Assistance:

There is no robust source oftechnical assistance for theFields Corner businesscommunity

Local Workforce:18% unemployment, andhigher employment in thesectors where FieldsCorner residents work


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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS

Strategic Partnerships to Enhance Economic Development

Service Delivery Use the Community Center to Organize and Engage the Fields

Corner Business Community

Fields

Corner MainSt

Boston

RestoreProgram

HistoricBoston Inc

RenewBoston

DorchesterBay EDC

A Better City

Accion USABU BusinessAccelerator

MA SmallBus Devt.

Center


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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - INTERVENTIONS

Making Spaces Business-

Ready Rents should be $15-20

Investment in interiorupgrade projects can beprofitable

Small Business AssistanceProgram Development

Needs assessment

Fundraise and hire staff

Connect with commercialreal estate investments

Workforce DevelopmentProgram & Job Placement


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Provide ideas to engage the community around physical

improvements to the public realm Improve environmental health and livability by promotingsustainable modes of transportation

Enable transit-oriented development

Encourage the use of commercial core and public space

Promote the use of green space

Create a walkable neighborhood that enhances thepedestrian experience

Improve visual connectivity to make to Fields Corner feel

more cohesive and safe

PUBLIC REALM - RATIONALE


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PUBLIC REALM - KEY FINDINGS

Challenges:

Car-dominatedneighborhood

Bike infrastructure lacking

Pedestrian connectionsconfusing and incomplete

Vacant lots and storefronts Street wall has varying

conditions

Opportunities

Newly renovated MBTAstop

Street art, urban gardens,and recreational amenities

Recent streetimprovements


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Complete Streets Sections Go Here

PUBLIC REALM - INTERVENTIONS: COMPLETE STREETS


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PUBLIC REALM - INTERVENTIONS: CONNECTIVITY


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PUBLIC REALM - INTERVENTIONS: CONNECTIVITY


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PUBLIC REALM - INTERVENTIONS: FACADES

Madrid Presentation May 8

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