MetroCommon 2050
Greater Boston’s long-range regional plan
Led by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
(MAPC)
Shaping our region together
MetroCommon 2050 is Greater Boston’s regional land use and policy plan. It’s about ways the Boston region can become more equitable, more prosperous, and more sustainable. MetroCommon is built on goals – that is, what people have told us they want. It defines action areas that give today’s issues context, and that reveal systems that require intervention. It goes deeply into key topics, finding insight in the trends, patterns, and idiosyncrasies of the region: research. And it makes specific recommendations for policy changes that can get us to our goals.
Achieving the goals of MetroCommon will require focused efforts to enact change in five, interrelated topics, which we call “Action Areas”. The Action Areas in MetroCommon are:
- Action Area Inclusive Growth & Mobility The ways we get around in Greater Boston – and where and how we grow – has profound effects. How do we manage land use and transportation for the benefit of all? Read More
- Action Area Homes for Everyone Greater Boston’s housing crisis devastates the cost-burdened, hurts the region’s quality of life, and weakens its economic competitiveness. How do we create more places to live, and protect against displacement? Read More
- Action Area Equity of Wealth & Health Disparities in health and wealth associated with race are not unique to Greater Boston, but they harm everyone. How do we close and redress these gaps – at a structural level? Read More
- Action Area Dynamic & Representative Government Greater Boston has a long, proud history of local control. But some challenges – like housing and climate – know no borders. How do our municipalities become more effective – and more inclusive? Read More
- Action Area Climate Change Adaptation & Resiliency Climate change is already altering our lives, and this will only intensify. How can we mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects now, to be better off by 2050? Read More
Research
MetroCommon 2050 seeks to connect the Greater Boston of today to a more just, sustainable, and prosperous future. To do this, we need to understand the conditions on the ground of our residents, workers, businesses, and ecosystems, and the trajectories along which they are moving. The MetroCommon research helps us to see some of the patterns and idiosyncrasies of the region, and to imagine possibilities for its future. It encompasses both in-depth reports and webtools.
Click here to see an index of all research reports.
How Do We Plan for An Uncertain Future?
Confirming what’s there now: The future is based on things both inside and outside of our control. We have the opportunity and responsibility to plan for an uncertain future. We examine three key uncertainties in MetroCommon 2050.
About the Regional Plan
Greater Boston is home to a vibrant, diverse population. We’re a hub of innovation and tradition, of learning and culture, of sports, of history, of medicine. We also face big challenges. MetroCommon 2050 is a road map for meeting those challenges. And for launching the region into a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future. It looks at how issues affect real people in the real world. It offers actionable policy recommendations and useful research and tools.