{"id":738052,"date":"2025-03-18T05:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=738052"},"modified":"2025-12-19T16:24:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T00:24:52","slug":"massachusetts-maps-housing-affordability","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/massachusetts-maps-housing-affordability","title":{"rendered":"Maps Reveal Hidden Housing Realities in Massachusetts to Address an Affordability Crisis"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[327152,491692,237681,1281,413732],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478722,478452],"esri_blog_department":[492402],"class_list":["post-738052","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri-insider","tag-affordable-housing","tag-housing-density","tag-urban-planning","tag-visualization","tag-zoning","esri-blog-category-housing","esri-blog-category-smart-planning","esri_blog_department-urban-planning"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Massachusetts Housing Partnership uses maps to visualize density to help communities accommodate more affordable housing across the state.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Residensity, an interactive web tool developed by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership\u2019s Center for Housing Data, helps residents and policymakers visualize and understand existing housing density and land use patterns across Massachusetts, fostering informed conversations about future development.\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>A GIS mapping tool uses detailed parcel data to help people understand housing options in their communities.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Density visualization enables informed conversations about state and local housing policy.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>By revealing unexpected development patterns, maps guide more nuanced zoning decisions and public discussions.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Picture an ideal Main Street: shops nestled side-by-side, apartments above, pedestrians browsing cafes and bookstores. This quintessential American scene is ironically illegal to build in most cities today, deemed too dense by modern zoning laws.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Density\u2014the number of units in a given area\u2014is typically governed by zoning laws. Most US zoning regulations, dating to the early 20th century, restrict housing types in specific zones. This approach constrains supply, drives up prices, and undermines housing affordability.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, roughly 75 percent of residential land is zoned for single-family homes (see sidebar). By understanding and reforming these laws, communities can foster economic growth and promote development. In Massachusetts, one group is working to make this possible statewide.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhp.net\/\">Massachusetts Housing Partnership<\/a> (MHP) helps residents, volunteers, policymakers, and local leaders visualize the density that already exists in their communities. <a href=\"https:\/\/residensity.mhp.net\/\">Residensity<\/a>, an interactive web tool developed and launched by MHP\u2019s Center for Housing Data, uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to display housing units per acre and population levels.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>A Bigger Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Massachusetts is <a href=\"https:\/\/massbudget.org\/2021\/08\/06\/piecemeal-progress-an-exploration-of-massachusetts-housing-investments\/\">no stranger to the housing affordability crisis<\/a>. In 2024, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/news\/2024\/04\/16\/massachusetts-houses-march-real-estate-data\">state\u2019s median price<\/a> for a single-family home was $609,900; in Boston, it was $900,000.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response, the state legislature in 2021 passed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/multi-family-zoning-requirement-for-mbta-communities\">Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Communities Law<\/a>, which requires half of the state\u2019s 351 municipalities to <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">allow<\/span> multifamily housing in locations with good access to transit. In 2024, Governor Maura Healey passed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/the-affordable-homes-act-smart-housing-livable-communities\">Affordable Homes Act<\/a>, authorizing $5.16 billion in spending over the next five years, along with nearly 50 policy initiatives to counter rising housing costs.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MHP, a public nonprofit, consults on local and state housing policy with data and tools that help communities meet the new requirements. Additionally, MHP has loan programs that support the construction and preservation of multifamily housing. It has lent $1.5 billion toward affordable housing development since its founding in 1985.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[738102,738082,738092,738142]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each municipality makes their own zoning rules, but in this case, the state requires localities to adopt compliant zoning to add greater density around transit stations. When the MBTA Communities Law passed, it required communities with transit stops to allow 15 housing units per acre, equivalent to a small apartment building or cluster of townhouses. This state mandate became a polarizing element of the law.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you\u2019re not aware of what 15 units per acre looks like, it\u2019s something that can sound really scary,\u201d said Tom Hopper, director of the Center for Housing Data at MHP. \u201cDensity is objective; it\u2019s something that we can use to set standards and guidelines, but it\u2019s also something that can be misinterpreted really easily.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be difficult for residents to grasp how people and buildings occupy space. A three-story development seems tall until it\u2019s compared to the height of a typical utility pole\u2014both are usually around 30 feet.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopper and his team make GIS maps to reframe how people think about density. \u201cWe realized that, for people to become comfortable with the level of density outlined in the law, we needed to contextualize it in the neighborhoods they love,\u201d Hopper said.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopper\u2019s work on Residensity was inspired by an earlier success. In 2019, the Center for Housing Data launched the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mhp.net\/todex\">Transit-Oriented Development Explorer (TODEX)<\/a>, with interactive maps revealing densities around Greater Boston\u2019s 261 transit stations. The tool proved popular with municipalities and residents. Hopper set out to expand it to the whole state.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":738072,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/mhpcenterforhousingdata.shinyapps.io\/todex"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Data Informs the Density Conversation <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residensity and TODEX rely on the same dataset, which requires drilling down to the parcel level of data to determine how many units are in each plot of land. This data comes from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/orgs\/massgis-bureau-of-geographic-information\">MassGIS<\/a>, the state\u2019s GIS team, which gathers and updates land use and housing tax assessment maps from each municipality.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Residensity, the state\u2019s Next Generation 911 addressing system and third-party real estate data are combined with MassGIS data to create a picture of density in Massachusetts. Users can zoom in and out of neighborhoods or search specific addresses to get detailed parcel information.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you want to find out where the densest development in your neighborhood is, or if you\u2019re looking for developments that are over 15 units per acre, you can see it in the interface. It gives people a really accurate and data-driven approach for conversations about density,\u201d said Matija Jankovic, MHP senior research analyst.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Members of MHP\u2019s community assistance team, which has helped over 130 municipalities comply with the MBTA Communities Law, use Residensity to find existing examples of density in the communities they advise. Instead of giving city councillors an abstract illustration of a dense housing development, consultants can point to an apartment building that already fulfills zoning requirements as a model to inform future development.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Braintree, a suburb south of Boston, city councillor Meredith Boericke turned to the tool to highlight the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?si=62pZiqPDNp92-KH8&amp;t=300&amp;v=QGG4VCt_gtk&amp;feature=youtu.be\">positive impact<\/a> that zoning updates could have on the city\u2019s economic vitality. With Residensity, she identified existing multifamily properties that exceeded the 15 units per acre rule. This helped constituents understand what density already looked like in their community and allowed them to visualize future housing developments accurately.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":738152,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"http:\/\/www.mhp.net\/residensity"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across the state, Residensity is making an impact. Local planners and municipal staff frequently access it to examine parcels and investigate density in their municipalities. Housing advocates and residents use it to explore neighborhoods and communicate development patterns. People post screenshots from the tool to their social media accounts, spurring conversations about housing. And passionate residents use it to bolster their pro-housing messaging at zoning meetings and city council sessions.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBefore this tool, there wasn\u2019t a comprehensive way to look at density in the state,\u201d Jankovic said. \u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to see how patterns are concentrated and how there are very clear spatial dynamics at play.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Insights to Build a Better Future <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since its launch, Residensity has revealed development patterns that have prompted important conversations. The tool uncovered where land is being used efficiently and identified areas that could benefit from higher-density developments.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were also some unexpected discoveries. \u201cResidensity highlights the differences between types of housing. We\u2019ve seen single-family neighborhoods that are actually denser than some multifamily developments. To me, that says you can achieve density in a number of different ways that fit community needs. We always talk about multifamily versus single-family, but it\u2019s a lot more complex than that,\u201d Hopper said.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adding to that complexity are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planning.org\/knowledgebase\/accessorydwellings\/\">accessory dwelling units<\/a> (ADUs), which are smaller, secondary housing units located on the same lot as a single-family home. Examples include converted basements, attic spaces, or detached structures like backyard cottages. ADUs can provide affordable housing options and help increase the overall density of a neighborhood without significantly altering its character.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is using the Residensity dataset to ask questions about where ADUs would be most appropriate and how a statewide ADU policy might impact residents.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tool also caught the attention of other researchers, some from environmental, transit, and public health organizations. Staff members from the National Zoning Atlas contacted Hopper\u2019s team to talk about scaling parcel-level unit count and density data to the national level. A handful of states have expressed a desire to develop similar tools, but it\u2019s hard to do without accurate statewide tax assessor and parcel data.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With insights from data-rich maps, town centers have the potential to look like the quintessential Main Street again. But housing is just a piece of the puzzle. Maps can reveal how much land is relegated to urban sprawl, such as parking lots or commercial development like warehouses. In cities that prioritize density, maps show how communities have made room for local parks and other public spaces for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not just about housing and transit but knitting all of this stuff together: civic life, environmental planning, resilience, and climate impact,\u201d Hopper said. \u201cAnalysis like this always highlights how far we have to go, but it\u2019s valuable, and we can use this information to communicate better.\u201d<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/content\/dam\/esrisites\/en-us\/media\/brochures\/housing-policy.pdf\" data-outlook-id=\"555644f9-bac5-4565-9813-3724c984fcf1\">GIS helps communities develop strategies to provide affordable, accessible, and attainable housing options for every resident<\/a>.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":738302,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":"<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Cambridge Eliminates Single-Family Zoning<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In one of the denser parts of Massachusetts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/politics\/2025\/02\/11\/cambridge-eliminates-single-family-zoning-in-historic-move\/\">Cambridge\u2019s city council voted<\/a> to end single-family zoning in 2025 to address a housing affordability crisis. Cambridge is currently the state's most expensive community for renters, with a median rent of $2,900 for a one-bedroom apartment. Rents increased by 40 percent in 2022, when vacancy rates across Greater Boston fell below 1 percent.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tom Hopper, director of the Center for Housing Data at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wgbh.org\/news\/local\/2022-04-04\/rents-in-cambridge-and-some-other-mass-cities-increased-30-in-the-past-year\">told GBH News<\/a>, \u201cPeople want to live here, and we may not have produced enough housing to actually accommodate that need.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reformed zoning code allows residential buildings up to six stories tall in every neighborhood. Cambridge projects that 4,800 new units could be built by 2040, as opposed to just 350 under the previous code.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The code change removes dozens of barriers for developers, including minimum lot sizes, limits on units per lot, and parking minimums. Without these restrictions, more housing should reduce the cost for everyone.<\/p>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":738242,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/livingatlas.arcgis.com\/policy\/browse\/#col=null&hs=1&viz=f9a964e38eae479dbe0b71ad6067e5f2&loc=-71.11,42.354,13"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Maps Reveal Housing Affordability Issues in Massachusetts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Massachusetts Housing Partnership uses maps to visualize density to help communities accommodate more affordable housing across the state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/massachusetts-maps-housing-affordability\" 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