In 2050...
Leslie (Edited)
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Weigh in...
Opinions, ideas, and priorities that spring from the lived experience of the people of the region are an important part of MetroCommon. We’re paying close attention to public feedback at every stage of the planning process. With your help, the plan will be bold, it will be right for the region, and it will lead to real change.
Today, we’re asking what the region thinks about the MetroCommon Draft Goals. For months, hundreds of people from everywhere in the region have told us what they want for Greater Boston's future (see samples below). MAPC took all the ideas and hopes and grouped them into draft goals. Now we want to know if we got it right. Do the goals talk about a future that you want? And if not, how should the goals change?
Read and comment on the MetroCommon Goals.
MetroCommon Goals: What do you think?
In 2050...
Man with grandchild (Edited)
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Ask the Future
2050: What is your family's primary form of transportation? What is your primary mode of transportation? When did autonomous vehicles become accepted or commonly seen by people in this region? What kind of housing unit did you grow up in and in what kind do you live now?
- Susan Price
Ask the Future
How comfortable are you with the quality of the water and the air?
- Judy Sneath
Ask the Future
I am a 17 year old black man from Somerville. I have lived here my whole like, I have fallen in love with the people, places, and culture of 'the ville'. This beautiful city has been my home... though It may not be for long. I have seen 3 families turn to condos, and I've watched mothers cry over rent. Assembly square, Davis Square, and now the new green line has killed the Somerville I know. We must increase affordable housing for longtime residents from 6% of new developments to the 20% we were promised. SAVE MY CITY!!!!!!!
- Somerville Resident
In 2050...
In my mind’s eye, 2050 is cleaner, highlighting the inherent beauty of living near the ocean. Wind and solar are the energy sources of choice, not oil and gas. Development has slowed to only select new projects, but both residential and commercial projects are carefully thought out.
- Mary F
In 2050...
Highschool Student (Edited)
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In 2050...
I am really, really worried that by 2050 we will be living in a climate change crisis - that significant parts of our region will be underwater, that we will have serious disruptions to weather and public health events from heat waves, and that our infrastructure will be crumbling under the stress, including flooding, severe storms, and freeze/thaw cycles. I also think our region is going to be potentially more habitable than say, Atlanta or Dallas in 2050 - and so I'd like us to be ready to be a safe harbor for climate change refugees. In the more immediate term, our region is immiserating ourselves through the housing crisis and imperiling our future thriving by not seriously addressing transportation at scale. I want a 2050 that is thriving, pluralistic, environmentally-sustainable, and more socially just, but I'm really worried we're not committed to the scale of change and adaptation it's going to take to get there.
- Kathleen Onufer
MetroCommon Goals: What do you think?
In 2050...
Transportation should not be a barrier - either physical or financial. Ideally people can easily get to work and back from their homes without spending hours commuting each way. Life should not simply depend on the private vehicle. It would be great if people without vehicles (like seniors) would not feel so isolated. Recycling and reuse should be common. There should not need to be water ban's due to scarcity of resources. More places of employment should offer work from home or flexible arrangements for shift work. Diversity should be embraced as something that strengthens our communities - not something that divides us.
- Mary
Ask the Future
My hope is that there will be an accessible form of public transportation for people with disabilities and all those who don’t drive. Folks can become very secluded when they don't have the independent means of transportation.
- Framingham Event Attendee 5
In 2050...
I would hope to see infrastructure and accommodations for ubiquitous pedestrian and bicycle travel. Public transportation would be more accessible further out from the city and be a first choice due to ease of use and ability to get where you need to go. Green spaces would be common in low income as well as high income areas.
- Susan Enos
Ask the Future
What is the nature of work? How many hours do you work per day and is there a universal basic income?
- Ryan
In 2050...
In my ideal future, I want the Boston metro area to be a national model for how to have a healthy, livable, and sustainable region. I want the state and region to collaborate towards energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and preparedness planning, renewable energy, sustainable efficient, and affordable transportation, smarter and more sustainable waste management, affordable housing, preservation and protection of natural resources, better transparency and modern technology for public information/education and data; support for "green" technology and businesses.
- Laura Smead
In 2050...
Age-friendly advocate (Edited)
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In 2050...
In my ideal future, my town of Winchester will continue to offer residents a range of houses to call home. The housing stock will still include small dwellings, such as Capes and ranches, and dwellings in a range of architectural styles, reflecting the history of the community. State laws will reward communities for passing bylaws that preserve these houses, both small and historic, recognizing that they will never be replaced. Developers will focus on renovation rather than wanton demolition, which is so wasteful and unsound environmentally, and they will focus instead on renovation. MAPC will actively advocate to promote these policies.
- Maureen Meister
Ask the Future
How has the Town of Hingham's decision to purchase (or not purchase) the water company in 2019 effected you today?
- Paul K. Healey
MetroCommon Goals: What do you think?
In 2050...
I see the MBTA commuter rail system being fully electrified throughout the system. Regional Rail allows for trains every 15 minutes throughout the day and weekends. I am able to take the train from the South Shore to the North Shore through a fully built North South Rail Link.
- Robert Kearns
In 2050...
Climate change adaptation and resilience are prioritized.
- Angela
In 2050...
Technologist (Edited)
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Ask the Future
Everyone should have access to frequent, reliable, affordable transit services whether they are fully mobile or disabled, rich or poor.
- Framingham Event Attendee 1
In 2050...
I would like us to achieve by 2050 a thriving region with a high quality of life by having clean and plentiful water resources, productive farmland, open spaces with thriving wildlife and places to recreate out of doors and well planned, dense development patterns using Low Impact Development Standards.
- Wayne Castonguay
In 2050...
What steps have been taken to mitigate affects of climate change? Has flooding impacted the way we do development?
- Framingham Event Attendee 6
Ask the Future
Senior Citizens pay property taxes which seem to rise faster than their income. Grants & abatements based on need should be offered to this group.
- Boston Event Attendee 5
Ask the Future
How long is your commute? What mode do you travel by? How do you heat your home? How much does it cost?
- Marian Swain
MetroCommon Goals: What do you think?
In 2050...
We need to widen the existing one lane roads like, rt 20, 30, 117, 16, 109- just to name a few. Anytime a developer wants to develop land- forget these ridiculous traffic studies, they must help widen the roads. These developers pocket the money they make and dump extra cars on the people who live near by as well as those that live further on down the road. IE- rt 117- they want to build in Weston near the Waltham line. So the people in Weston will be impacted- but also all the people who travel rt 117 during the rush hours- Stow, Maynard, they have to wait while the extra cars in Weston get on and all the other cars in Lincoln, Wayland...... You can not build more housing with out widening the roads. Create a tax to widen the roads
- Betsy
In 2050...
We need more sidewalks, especially in the more distant suburbs, so that people can walk to places (e.g., store, bank, post office, nearest bus stop) instead of having to drive or take a taxi. We need more blue mailboxes so that people can send their mail in a secure manner without having to drive or take a taxi. Leaving outgoing mail in one's own personal mailbox is not secure and invites identity theft or theft of the mail.
- John Jayne
In 2050...
Entrepreneur (Edited)
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Ask the Future
Was the Greater Boston area able to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions in accordance with the Paris Climate Accord? Have individual cities been able to achieve zero emissions targets? What has life been like adapting to climate change?
- Juan Reynoso
Ask the Future
I'd like to know if the public transportation infrastructure has improved! I would hope that both the MBTA and Commuter Rail are affordable, fast, reliable, and technologically up-to-date.
- Elise
Ask the Future
It would be great if they could stay in the community they choose and afford to stay among the family + friends they have created along the way. Have them engaged with all age groups in activities that maintain and enhance their health.
- Framingham Event Attendee 3
In 2050...
Disability Advocate (Edited)
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In 2050...
I want to take my place among a workforce that is focused on land and water restoration and on implementing clean energy solutions-- including weatherization for marginalized tenants and low-income homeowners. I want to see my fellow citizens more engaged in democratic processes and reaching out, neighbor to neighbor, in cooperative rather than competitive endeavors. Tool-lending libraries, skill-sharing, etc. with multi-generational components. Growing healthy food together. Rooftop gardens, community gardens, and fewer big lawns!
- Carol Harley
MetroCommon Goals: What do you think?
In 2050...
Hello has technology like self-driving cars, virtual reality, etc. made life easier or harder? What do our power sources look like now? Are we off of fossil fuels yet? Is Boston underwater? How much does it cost to buy a house? Condo? What are some careers that exist now that weren't invented in 2019?
- Boston Event Attendee 2
In 2050...
Is this area still segregated?
- Framingham Event Attendee 4
Ask the Future
Did capitalism survive, or has the standard of living and quality of life plunges under the false hope of socialism. Socialism fails every time, and would have taken our country down a path that would be devastating to all.
- Casp
Ask the Future
I worry about the rising cost of housing and now socialist policies prevent the free market from solving this issue.
- Framingham Event Attendee 2
Ask the Future
Multigenerational living spaces with good access to transportation. True car free living. Communities of care; minimizing loneliness, financial hardship.
- Boston Event Attendee 4
In 2050...
The increase in housing prices in the region since the 1980's, particularly the spike that has occurred since the end of the recession, is outrageous and inhibiting people from enjoying a high quality of life. This, combined with the legacy of housing discrimination / segregation, and the lack of wage growth, has completely hampered economic mobility for residents in the region. We also need to seriously address climate change and revamp our energy infrastructure in order to ensure long-term energy security from that does not experience price fluctuations and scarcity. Federal leadership is required to fully address some of these issues, particularly surrounding wage stagnation, breaking up the power of corporations to mistreat / underpay workers. In the Greater Boston region, we desperately need to produce more housing and improve the efficiency of public transportation. Furthermore, we need to have high paying jobs that are located outside of Boston and Cambridge. This will help calm traffic congestion, and allow for people to have to commute less and pay less for housing. We also need to work to improve existing infrastructure and find ways to be a leader in the new energy economy. Finally, we need to ensure that our educational system prepares students for jobs that are out there better than it is currently doing.
- Jeremy
Ask the Future
I want all children to feel safe in the Roxbury community and find homes for all the homeless people sleeping in the streets.
- Boston Event Attendee 3
In 2050...
I would like to see a community that is vibrant and interactive, but that is wholly net-zero and carbon neutral. While how this is worked out depends on many factors, some of its characteristics would probably be a strengthening of local businesses and increased pedestrian and bike travel. Trips outside the community would be mostly by public transportation, with transit lines not only heading into Boston but also running loops around the hub to link surrounding communities. Energy would be obtained from green, renewable, sustainable sources, with emphasis on efficiency. Home heating would be a mix of ground and air-sourced heat pumps and locally-sourced distribution systems. Buildings would also be net-zero, especially for new construction, with older buildings retrofitted as much as possible. Telecommuting would be wide-spread, as would satellite offices. Lots of ways to preserve a high quality of life without using the large volume of fossil-fuels we now depend on! Thanks for listening!!
- Sue Swanson