Tufts University to Conduct Another Study for Everett

Mayor Carlo DeMaria, Jr. and the Department of Planning and Development are pleased to have once again secured a group of Tufts University Graduate Students from the School of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning to conduct another field study for the City.

Last year at this time, graduate students from Tufts completed a preliminary master plan for the City’s Commercial Triangle area.  This year the student team will focus on the idea of Complete Streets and taking Everett’s multi-modal transportation system to a new level through integrated transportation planning.  The team will create a Sustainable Transportation Master Plan, which will identify key areas of improvement and recommendations for enhancing the connectivity of Everett’s transportation options.

Some areas the students will consider in there study include:

Providing multi-modal access to rapid transit in surrounding communities;

Connecting green spaces to bike paths (especially waterfront areas, such as along the Malden River);

Proposing the location/design of future bike lanes, infrastructure (paths) and bike racks;

Improving existing bike lanes and pedestrian paths;

Altering parking or widening paths/sidewalks;

Effectiveness of transportation improvements proposed for Wynn MA, LLC project, particularly as they incorporate complete streets design concepts;

Incorporating future development of the former Monsanto site (as the Wynn MA, LLC, project or another project) into the broader transportation network;

Increasing public use of current and future open spaces and paths (e.g., how does the city encourage biking?);

Integrating community gardens or edible landscapes into pedestrian/biking paths;

Designing public outreach and education to improve awareness and understanding of complete streets concepts and policies;

Exploring possible community partners, such as local businesses and non-profit organizations; and

Analyzing the feasibility of HubWay bike stations or at least a pilot program to determine need for stations.

“I am excited to once again utilize this great resource that the School of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts offers,” stated Mayor DeMaria, “Last year the City benefited greatly from the work the students did in respect to the Commercial Triangle, and I am eager to see what they develop in terms of our City’s transportation needs.”

In addition to their research and analysis, the Tufts group will also help with community outreach and education.  Public meetings will be held during the process, as the Mayor recognizes that the most important aspect of these visioning meetings is the participation of all residents and community groups. The Tufts Students will be conducting their study from February through late April.