Latest
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North Attleboro Mixed Use Zoning
With Stantec, CommunityScale is working with the Town of North Attleboro to update their downtown zoning, add a mixed-use overlay to their primary commercial corridor, and bring the town into compliance with the MBTA…
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How CommunityScale forecasts households by income group
This post examines a key element of housing needs assessment: projecting future household income distribution. In planning for housing needs—whether for the next 5 years or 10—forecasting not only the number of households but…
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Central Indiana Regional Housing Study
Launched while working at Stantec, CommunityScale is partnered with Stantec Urban Places to complete a regional housing study that includes housing market investigation, needs assessment, and gap analysis to provide communities and stakeholders across…
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A new way to conduct and share housing needs assessments
CommunityScale is excited to announce a new way to conduct and share housing needs assessments. Our affordable and data-driven reports are delivered as interactive websites. This link is to a sample interactive web report.…
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Malden MBTA Communities zoning
CommunityScale is working the the City of Malden to complete their MBTA Communities zoning for compliance.
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Design Lewiston Guidelines
These design guidelines create a framework aimed at shaping a Lewiston that is attractive, functional, and community-oriented.
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CommunityScale under contract to manage Everett’s rezoning
CommunityScale is under contract for Everett’s Recodification project. We are excited to work with the City and our project partners and create a new zoning ordinance and zoning map for Everett. Stay tuned for…
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Everett Recodification
CommunityScale is managing the complete rezoning of Everett, Massachusetts, along with project partners Stantec’s Urban Places and BBHS Law. The goal of the initiative is to modernize the code while meeting the mayor’s vision…
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Tracking how truly unaffordable housing has become in the US
For the first time in years, the median household income is not enough to afford a median-priced home – not even close! For most of the past decade, home prices and household incomes have…
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Win for affordable housing in court supported by our analysis
Nels Nelson and Sarabrent McCoy supported the proponent of affordable housing development in North Reading, Massachusetts. The case was in front of the State’s Housing Appeals Court, which recently decided in favor of the…
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Northern Kentucky Housing Data Analysis
Employment growth is surpassing the availability of workforce housing in the NKADD region. Our data-driven analysis suggests a substantial increase in the production of 1- and 2-bedroom units along with more income-aligned units. While…
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Bayside Master Plan
In a collaboration between urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture teams, we created a master plan for Portland’s largest mixed-use development in a generation, located within the vibrant and historic Bayside neighborhood a few…
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Affordable Housing Developable Land Analysis
We have extensive experience with 40B General Land Area Minimum (GLAM) determinations, the Massachusetts State regulations for determining developability for affordable housing. Nels has appeared as a witness at the Housing Appeals Committee (HAC)…
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Five lessons learned drafting an MBTA Communities overlay for Lowell
MBTA Communities (also known as Section 3A) is an exciting and bold program that affordable housing proponents and lawmakers from across the country are closely watching to see what kind of impact can be…
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How good urban design can make city residents healthier
What makes us healthy? It’s not just hospitals. The biggest influence on our health is our physical environment and behavior. With most of the world’s population living in cities, urban design has a responsibility…