A Series of Articles about the MBTA Communities Zoning Law

In 2021, the Massachusetts state legislature adopted the MBTA Communities zoning law requiring municipalities served by Greater Boston’s public transit agency, the MBTA, (with the exception of Boston) to zone for at least one district “of reasonable size” within a half mile of an MBTA station (where practical), where moderately-dense multi-family housing is permitted in a predictable way. Full implementation will involve local zoning reform in more than a hundred municipalities. Thousands of people will be involved in the effort.

This working paper comprises a series of articles written to educate the many people who will be involved in the process of local reform to implement the law. The articles frame the current initiative in the context of major land use debates and issues, nationwide.