I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that one of the most popular topics of conversation around the country, and especially the City of Boston is housing and real estate – or lack thereof. The apartment search or house-hunting journey can be long and arduous, an almost vicious competition of finding the right size place in the preferred neighborhood at your budgeted price-point.

The development of the city, as well as its class divides, has been significantly shaped by the infrastructure of our transit system, or more affectionately “the T.” At the turn of the century, with some exception, Boston was basically an inner city of work and low-income housing, and an outer city of middle- and upper-income residences. The wide extent of settlement in the Greater Boston suburbs was catalyzed by the elaboration of the MBTA and city services that accompany it. This footprint is still visible today.

Gentrification has been a steady movement in Boston due to inflated real estate prices squeezing the lower and middle-class out of the City and into the suburbs. The rents continue to rise more and more each year in every neighborhood, from Hyde Park to Beacon Hill.

However, in the twilight of his tenure at the helm of the City, Mayor Menino has made one final push to address lack of affordability and spur development in neighborhoods outside of Downtown and the Financial District.

As Casey Ross at the Boston Globe reported earlier this month:

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is proposing to reach his ambitious goal of building 30,000 homes in Boston by allowing taller structures with smaller units, selling public land to developers at a discount, and using subsidies to spur development of more affordable housing, according to a blueprint to be released Monday.

The plan, which calls for $16.5 billion in public and private investment, begins with a series of quick steps that could significantly alter the housing landscape before Menino’s term ends in four months. Those steps include selling large chunks of city property, increasing fees on developers to help fund affordable housing, and approving some of the 3,600 housing units awaiting city permits.

While Boston is erecting skyscrapers throughout Downtown Crossing and Back Bay, showcasing its growing world-class status, it is also getting harder to balance the rent prices and justify their ups and downs. In tandem with Mayor Menino’s effort, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) implements the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) for the City to ensure that middle income affordable housing opportunities (homeownership and rental) are created. By using public land and working with developers and also through financial assistance for development projects through the IDP Fund and relief from regulation, housing is made affordable for all ages and households and at eligible income levels. 

While it may not always be a steady market, Boston continues to make strides to provide Bostonians with affordable and quality housing options.