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 495/MetroWest Development Compact

495/MetroWest Partnership Resources

Density Through Design Report


The 495/MetroWest Partnership commissioned the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass-Amherst to conduct a graduate level planning studio aimed at examining the issue of housing density in the 495/MetroWest region.  An outgrowth of the Density Through Design Initiative, the report that resulted from this study illustrates how innovative design solutions can yield higher density housing projects that are appropriate in suburban settings, attractive, and will be successful in the marketplace.  Click here for the report.  

Green Infrastructure Toolkit


The 495/MetroWest Partnership commissioned UMass-Amherst’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning to inventory and assess the green infrastructure resources and opportunities in the 495/MetroWest region.   The final product of this Initiative was the development of an electronic Green Infrastructure Toolkit with internal links to areas within the document and external links that lead to websites that contain pertinent information on each section.  The Toolkit is framed around 5 elements of green infrastructure: Stormwater Quantity and Quality, Habitat and Ecosystem Protection, Multi-Modal Transportation, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, and Waste Management. These element areas were selected in response to issue areas of regional and state concern and mirror elements included in other green infrastructure toolkits and programs across the nation.  Click here for the Toolkit; the full report is available upon request.

Mass Audubon Resources

 

For over 100 years Mass Audubon has been advocating for the protection of the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife.  Their insight and experience is a critical component of the 495/MetroWest Development Compact. 

Mass Audubon's frequently cited report, Losing Ground, documents patterns and trends of development in relation to natural resources and ecological integrity throughout Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Interactive online maps and data are included.

www.massaudubon.org/losingground

Mass Audubon's Shaping the Future of Your Community Program helps communities understand, adopt and implement tools and techniques for sustainable planning and development. The program holds free workshops on topics such as stormwater management, Low Impact Development, saving land and money, and conservation subdivision design; provides an online guidebook and toolkit; and links to many other resources.

www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture/outreach