Illustrations by Travis Foster BIGGER, TALLER, COOLERCalling them McMansions may be an exaggeration in most cases, but as a rule, single-family homes were indeed built on a larger scale in […]
Statistically Significant
Posted inUncategorized
Cellar dweller
Which comes first, people or houses? Massachusetts ranked a pitiful 48th in the increase of its housing supply from 2000 to 2004, but since the state ranked 44th in population […]
Posted inUncategorized
Flat growth
Whether because of “smart growth” policies or market forces, multifamily housing seems to be making a comeback in the Bay State. By 2004, Massachusetts had almost caught up to the […]
Posted inEconomy
Close quarters
Population density is a standard yardstick of development, but assessing it is trickier than it seems. According to the standard measure of density, communities in southeastern Massachusetts seem to have […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Bay State delegation gets creative in fighting energy costs
Growth & Development Extra 2006 The scene, which took place just before Thanksgiving, was hardly the picture of energy independence that US policymakers have long held as a goal. Standing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Letters
While your magazine is, of course, justified in providing wide latitude to Argument authors to spin numbers as they see fit (“How to reform the charter school program,” Argument & […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Municipalities face a deadline in making polling sites accessible for all
INTRO TEXT Fall 2005 Everything these days is regulation, regulation, regulation, penalty, fine, threats.” That’s Medfield town administrator Mike Sullivan’s take on the Help America Vote Act, which is requiring […]
Posted inEconomy
Healey drops into a dispute over a homeless shelter in Worcester
Fall 2005 Lt. Gov.Healey at the controversial PIP Shelter in Worcester. The tour of the PIP Shelter on Main Street in Worcester on July 26 starts out as a routine, […]
Posted inPolitics
Academics propose carrots and sticks to increase turnout in local elections
WHEN THE SOCCER moms showed up, James Glaser of Tufts University and his two colleagues knew their political science experiment was going to be a success. It was May 10, Election […]
Posted inUncategorized
Counting on new pilgrims
Fall 2005Of all the media coverage generated in the wake of MassINC’s recent research on immigration, The Changing Face of Massachusetts, none was more poignant than an editorial by the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Statistically Significant
Illustrations by Travis Foster CURBS ON TEEN DRIVING PAY OFFMore restrictions on driving by 15- to 17-year-olds have significantly reduced traffic deaths in that age group, according to a recent […]
Posted inEconomy
Falling fortunes
If the German company Adidas goes through with its buyout of Canton–based sneaker rival Reebok, the Bay State will be the home of just nine Fortune 500 companies, down from […]
Posted inEconomy
Bread winners
The business of making things is still strong in much of central Massachusetts, as well as parts of the Merrimack Valley and the southeastern region of the state. But curing […]
Posted inPolitics
Another push to give the governor a home of our own
Would the Hancock house have made the best governor’s mansion? What does Massachusetts have in common with Idaho? Hint: the same thing Arizona has with Vermont, and Rhode Island with […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Future teachers need more liberal arts fewer courses in education
Two different kinds of problems point to the urgent need to rethink our entire system of teacher education in Massachusetts, and in the country as a whole. On one hand, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Letters
I wish you had also addressed the tuition costs (and, of course, fees) at our state university in comparison with other states (“Is it higher-ed’s turn?” CW, Spring ’05). Perhaps […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Approaching Re-entry
As candidate for governor in 1990, Bill Weld put it in the most stark terms – pledging to “reacquaint felons with the joys of busting rocks” – but the general […]
Posted inEconomy, Education
Job training initiatives should begin with realistic expectations about employers and employees
The Commonwealth has an impending workforce crisis on its hands, but it’s one that’s paradoxical. As a percentage of population, Massachusetts has more college-educated residents than any other state in […]
Posted inEducation
Counterpoints
Yes, charter schools have been controversial, but then again, so has just about everything we’ve done to improve public education. Curriculum frameworks, graduation requirements, teacher testing, you name it, and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Wind farms stir up trouble in the hills
INTRO TEXT Wind turbines may be a source of renewable energy, but they also generate strong feelings. That’s what William Hubbard learned from his two-year fight to build a 12-megawatt […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
The Community Preservation Act finds its balance
DESPITE EARLY WORRIES that the Community Preservation Act was funding a land grab by suburban communities eager to lock in open space at the expense of the affordable housing the law […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
DNA test cause headaches for the states crime lab
INTRO TEXT Even crime has its growth sector, and in the Bay State, it’s burglary. The only violent or property crime category to increase between 2002 and 2003, burglary rose […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
CommonWealth Forum weighs mass transit
INTRO TEXT The state’s plan to extend the MBTA’s Green Line to West Medford does not promise enough environmental benefits to justify its cost, according to one panelist at the […]