MHP’s Center for Housing Data honored with a “Special Achievement in GIS” award

BOSTON — MHP’s Center for Housing Data (CHD) has been honored by the world leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology with a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) award. The Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (Esri) announced the award at its conference July 15, 2024. Out of 680,000 organizations using Esri software worldwide, CHD was one of 217 winners.

The SAG award recognizes the efforts of organizations that set precedents throughout the GIS community. Esri President and Founder, Jack Dangermond, speaking during a plenary session at the Esri International User Conference in San Diego said of the award recipients, “I like to think of them as heroes. These kinds of achievements just don’t happen. They require people who are the last to leave the parking lot at night.”

The Center for Housing Data is being recognized for the geographic insights it has brought to the implementation of the MBTA Communities Law (Section 3A of the Zoning Act), which requires 177 municipalities in Massachusetts to have at least one zoning district in which moderately dense multifamily housing is permitted as of right.

The team’s work is delivering data-driven insights around land use, zoning, and the value of denser multifamily housing. Carl Nylen, Esri’s team lead for state and local government for the Northeast office, nominated CHD saying, “MHP has been a leader in exploring the creative application of GIS and information technology to better understand and address the pressing housing issues we face in Massachusetts.” The CHD team’s efforts include:

• Developing the methodology for mapping and measuring geographic features of zoning districts relative to the law’s requirements. The team also compiled necessary information and prepared mapping documents for all MBTA Communities, saving municipalities time and resources so they can focus on good planning and community engagement rather than technology and data manipulation. One hundred seventy-seven municipalities and their consultants are using the GIS process and methodology developed by CHD to understand their current land use patterns, engage community members around a common vision for their future and follow guidelines to meet compliance with 3A.
• Partnering with Esri to offer 3D GIS modeling technology to communities and consultants working on 3A districts. Tools such as ArcGIS Urban allow planners, board members and residents to better measure, evaluate, and visualize the types of multifamily development allowed under new zoning rules.
• Creating Residensity, an interactive website and analytical tool which provides housing counts and residential density estimates for every parcel in Massachusetts. Residensity allows users to identify and explore examples of existing multifamily housing in their communities and measure the neighborhood density of custom-drawn areas. The site fills a previously unmet need for statewide, comprehensive data on density and land use patterns crucial to informing work on 3A districts and other planning efforts. Planners and local boards are using Residensity to provide familiar examples of existing density and create community engagement campaigns to demonstrate that the kind of multifamily housing enabled by this zoning fits the character of existing development in most communities. These strategies help build support for new zoning rules by educating users and other stakeholders about the important role housing density plays in creating and maintaining the types of neighborhoods communities value, including main streets, town centers and downtowns.

The team feels fortunate to be part of the network of talented state, regional and local experts working to bring reliable and impactful information to housing issues facing the Commonwealth. Implementation of the MBTA Communities Law continues to be an interagency, multi-stakeholder undertaking. The award is not just affirmation of CHD’s work but a reflection of the thought leadership, technical expertise and passion that the broad and diverse group of professionals brings to the effort.

The CHD team is excited to continue fulfilling its mission of democratizing data, bringing data-driven insights to pro-housing groups and advocates, and using mapping and other types of information to support the creation and expansion of great neighborhoods and vibrant places across Massachusetts.

For more information on the Center for Housing Data and its work, contact Tom Hopper at thopper@mhp.net.

For general information, contact MHP Communications Manager Lisa Braxton at lbraxton@mhp.net or (857) 301-1526.