Of all the factors that influence the business climate in Worcester’s Central Business District (CBD), the office space market is one of the most basic, but also one of the most important. The physical locations available are critical both in attracting and retaining employers, and in measuring the health of the CBD.
See More...Walkability has numerous benefits, but how walkable an area is can be hard to quantify—while people have good intuitions about whether their neighborhood lends itself well to casual strolls, or how many destinations are easily reachable on foot, it can be harder to put those thoughts and feelings into a context that could inform public policy.
See More...EACH YEAR on July 1, Massachusetts cities and towns must implement a new budget. The City of Worcester’s Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) budget takes effect on July 1, 2020.
See More...This publication is intended to provide candidates and residents in Worcester, Massachusetts with questions for consideration on key topics impacting the community and government.
See More...The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA), like many bus systems, suffers from low and declining ridership. There is research and evidence from other cities that going fare-free – not merely lowering fares, but eliminating them entirely – is perhaps the most effective ridership-boosting tool available to bus systems.
See More...The Worcester Regional Research Bureau is pleased to present the fifth annual Worcester Almanac—our compendium of information of all things Greater Worcester. A small, not-for-profit organization, The Research Bureau’s mission is to serve the public interest of Greater Worcester by conducting independent research and analysis of public policy issues to promote informed public debate and decision-making.
See More...The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, codified under Chapter 70 of the Massachusetts General Laws, was adopted to ensure that every child in the Commonwealth had access to an adequately funded public school education.
See More...Ranked choice voting, or RCV, is a system that allows voters to indicate a preference not just for their first choice for an office, but for their second and third choices, and so on. Much like runoff elections, the system ensures that no one wins without more than 50 percent of the final vote.
See More...The Opportunity Zone program was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It provides tax deferments and forgiveness to investors who support projects in designated areas. This investment must come from capital gains and has multiple conditions attached in an effort to benefit, specific, low-income areas.
See More...The Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) has been providing affordable housing options to Worcester residents since 1949. Federal guidelines recommend that households spend no more than 30 percent of income on rental or mortgage payments.
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