In Massachusetts, municipalities have limited tools to entice businesses to locate and expand in a weak marketplace. The most frequently used alternative is the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) and its tax increment financing (TIF) initiative.
See More...With over 5,000 public parking spaces in Downtown Worcester, parking – and its location, condition, design, and cost – is an important concern of municipal government. Parking in Worcester: Left by the Curb urges the City to elevate the discussion of parking by creating a Parking Division that reports directly to the Commissioner of Public Works & Parks.
See More...The City of Worcester and the surrounding communities are home to 12 colleges and over 30,000 college students, giving Greater Worcester a built-in advantage in attracting and retaining a highly talented and educated workforce—a necessary component of successful economic development.
See More...Worcester Regional Airport, airport code ORH, was founded in 1946 as a municipal airport. Over the years it has enjoyed periods of great success, peaking at 354,000 passenger enplanements in 1989, and periods of quiescence with the departure of major national airlines in the late 1990s.
See More...Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40B was adopted in 1969 as part of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Permit Act to encourage and facilitate the building of affordable, long term housing for low-income individuals and families across the Commonwealth and to ensure that low-income residents can remain in their localities if housing costs increase.
See More...The City of Worcester is home to a significant number of public parklands, but available funding has not kept pace with park expansion and needed maintenance. This brief reviews the potential of park conservancies – private non-profit entities that assume management and maintenance of public parklands – to improve Worcester’s signature parks and create new opportunities for public engagement.
See More...According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the City of Worcester has a population of 181,901 residents, making it the 129th largest city in the United States and the 2nd largest city in New England.
See More...While citizen participation is the basis for a strong democracy, key indicators illustrate a troubling trend for civic engagement in the City of Worcester. Low voter turnout, limited competition for local elected offices, and lackluster interest in serving on local boards and commissions indicate a disconnect between residents and local government. At Worcester Technical High School’s June 2014 Commencement Exercises President Barack Obama challenged the crowd with “Don’t Boo. Just Remember to Vote.”
See More...Beginning in 2015, The Research Bureau will provide the Greater Worcester community with an annual compendium of information about the City and the region. The Worcester Almanac: 2015 is the inaugural effort to capture key data points about the area.
See More...Worcester’s population is changing. Since 1950, Worcester’s non-white population has grown substantially, fueled in part by immigration from South America, Africa, and Asia. Nearly 20% of Worcester’s residents reside in linguistically isolated households, meaning all members of the household age 14 or over have at least some difficulty speaking English.
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