WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN MEDFORD?
A comprehensive plan is a 50,000-foot view that guides City policies and investment over the next ten–twenty years.
The plan reflects community vision and values; community engagement is critical to the success of a comprehensive planning process.
The plan will engage with seven core areas: land use; housing; economic development; history, arts, and cultures; open space and recreation; public services; and mobility. These areas will be studied under themes of resilience, equity, and health.
The impact of the plan will affect City policy, future investments, regulatory changes, and ongoing community discussions.
WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN Massachusetts?
Under Massachusetts General Laws, master planning is governed by Chapter 41, Section 81D. This section requires that the plan address nine elements, including a goals and policies statement and an implementation plan.
Within that framework is a great deal of latitude to craft a master plan that fits the individual needs of the community.
7 Planning Areas
LAND USE
What occupies Medford’s land? Can the distribution of resources, amenities, and activities become more intelligent, productive, and sustainable?
HOUSING
Where do the people of Medford live? How can housing be made more affordable, accessible, and equitable, especially to Medford’s most vulnerable communities?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
What drives Medford’s economy? How can proactive planning and long-term vision ensure a fair and prosperous future for everyone who lives and works here?
HISTORY, ARTS & CULTURES
How does Medford’s past contribute to its present? What lessons might history have for the project of shaping Medford’s future? What cultural resources need protection, preservation, and encouragement—and what new cultural ideas might take as Medford grows?
OPEN SPACE
How can we protect Medford’s protected land and open spaces to ensure that all residents today and in the future have access to healthy ecoystems? How can Medford’s natural environment be made more resilient and biodiverse?
PUBLIC SERVICES
How can the City provide better services to communities with diverse challenges? How might resources be better distributed to meet present and future inequities and needs?
MOBILITY
How do people get around Medford—on foot, or by bike, car, bus, or train? How accessible are Medford’s amenities and resources? How can these systems and infrastructures be improved to make Medford work better?
CROSS CUTTING THEMES
The seven core planning areas will be studied under these themes that we’ve heard from the community:
CITY TEAM
STEERING COMMITTEE
DESIGN TEAM
AGENCY
Agency is the capacity of human beings to act, to make choices. Planning can remove barriers. Design is an act of optimism. Optimism and action are much needed, today more than ever. At Agency Landscape + Planning, we believe in the power of people to initiate and make purposeful, positive change.
Agency is a women-owned small business (WOSB) and certified DBE/WBE practice based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our work engages the full spectrum of design services - from strategic planning to complex public realm implementation. It is tied together by a commitment to public sector work with deep community engagement. We have a significant practice dedicated to urban planning, from the regional to district scale, and a team of twelve designers and planners.
Agency is a mission-driven practice dedicated to addressing social equity, cultural vitality and environmental resilience through design excellence, strategic planning and community engagement. Co-founders Brie Hensold and Gina Ford have worked together for over a decade.
EMILY INNES
For this project, Agency has formed a close partnership with longtime collaborator Emily Innes, as project manager, to combine Agency's deep experience with visioning with Emily's experience in comprehensive and regulatory planning.
Emily Innes has been assisting communities for over ten years. Her focus is on strategic planning for waterfront and downtown revitalization, providing tools for communities to achieve their visions for these areas. Emily's award-winning plans lead to implementable strategies.
In this planning process, Emily will work closely with Agency to coordinate the community engagement schedule with the municipal planning and approval process. We will also coordinate the work of the subconsultant team so that the research, options, and recommendations are ready for presentation at the appropriate time. We will also coordinate the production of the draft plan for review by the community. Our goal is a final plan that is clear to different audiences and that provides a guide for municipal action and investment for the next ten years, while setting the stage for the next thirty years.
ARUP
Arup is the force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects. From 87 offices in 34 countries, their 14,000 engineers, planners, designers, and consultants deliver innovative projects across the world with creativity and passion. Matt Cibrowski from Arup's Boston office will work with his team on transportation, circulation, and resilience.
Arup’s integrated planning approach puts people first and guides decision making to optimize human experiences in urban places. They work with clients to create vibrant cities with more opportunity for civic engagement and a higher quality of life. Arup’s signature approach to the built environment can be found in cities across the region and around the world.
Arup’s drive to shape a better world is fundamental to everything that they do. Their projects leave a legacy to subsequent generations—a legacy that outlasts any one individual. This power to design and influence the built environment carries with it a responsibility to do the best possible job for current and future generations.
KARP
Karp Strategies is a WBE-, SBE- and DBE-certified urban planning advisory and strategy consulting firm that partners with our clients to identify their unique needs and provide tailored solutions. We take analysis to action so that government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations can make better decisions and advance their projects. Karp Strategies’ advisement is informed by our deep, cross-sector experience throughout New York City, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England, including at city and regional agencies.
LANDAU
LANDAU Design+Technology will support engagement and visualization with dynamic, interactive tools. They are committed to solving complex problems through generative design process that blend emerging technologies and creative vision. With a unique understanding of the intersection where technical mastery meets design, LANDAU offers a range of services and +15 years of project experience to help push projects and engagement to new heights.
Seizing those opportunities where technology can enhance the design process and vice versa LANDAU helps designers, researchers and engineers to bridge these two disciplines. As an advocate for perpetual learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, our team is a testament to the fact that when you put the right minds together “there's nothing you can’t do”.