The Gateway Cities Project
As a state, Massachusetts has experienced one of the nation’s most successful transitions to the 21st Century’s knowledge economy. In fact, in recent years while other states have experienced severe setbacks in their economies, Massachusetts has undergone periods of steady growth. Despite this, average growth in the state’s economy relative to other states masks a reality that consists of widening gaps along several socio-economic indicators between the knowledge core that has developed in and around Greater Boston and many of the state’s older industrial cities located outside of Route 128. The existence of these disparities and the growing recognition that these communities require and deserve significant attention and investment have provided monumental impetus for the creation of the Gateway Cities Alliance and the work that the Urban Initiative and MassINC have been able to achieve thus far in this area.
Recognizing the urgency set forth in a recent report released by MassINC entitled Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities, the Urban Initiative set to work establishing a formal partnership with MassINC and speaking with the mayors and city managers of the Gateway Cities to secure their support for the establishment of a coalition and the launching of a collaborative effort to address the challenges they face and promote a set of policies that can jump-start their economies, trigger regional growth and prosperity, and improve the lives and futures of their residents.
The first significant milestone in this effort took place on May 19, 2008, when the mayors and city managers of the eleven Gateway Cities gathered at the Old State House in Boston in an event sponsored by MassINC and the Urban Initiative to sign a compact to unite their administrations in future efforts aimed at economic and community development. In addition, the compact set forth a willingness and desire to work together with state legislators and state officials in crafting an equitable urban agenda. The event was attended by state legislators from the Gateway Cities, members of the Governor’s administration, and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, who, as a former Gateway City mayor himself, expressed his understanding of the challenges that currently face these communities and the tremendous opportunities that exist within each one. Considering the Commonwealth’s long-standing tradition of localism and home rule, the event and the compact were hailed as an historic display of unity and an unequivocal call for change.
Following the success of the compact signing, the Urban Initiative and MassINC went about organizing coalition members and the economic development directors from each of the eleven communities to begin discussing several concrete policy initiatives that the coalition would pursue immediately. In particular, this core group of organizers and policy-makers focused on the expansion and geographic targeting of specific state-funded economic development incentives and repairing the state’s housing policies. In addition, with an understanding that this new urban agenda would ultimately require the support of the State Legislature and the Governor, MassINC and the Urban Initiative began working with several state senators and representatives in their efforts to form a legislative Gateway Cities Caucus, initiated discussion with legislative leaders around a set of policies and initiatives that could be introduced during the next legislative session, and began advising state officials and members of the Governor’s cabinet on the development and organization of this new urban agenda.
Having garnered the attention and support of the key players and outlining initial policy recommendations, the Urban Initiative organized the first-ever Massachusetts Gateway Cities Conference on October 3, 2008 at the UMass Dartmouth Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center in Fall River through the generous support and sponsorship of Verizon Communications, MassINC, the SouthCoast Development Partnership, and the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council. The event brought together over 200 individuals from across Massachusetts and the eleven Gateway Cities including their mayors and city managers, members of their legislative delegations, and also Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray and other state officials. The conference provided the Coalition a rare opportunity to sit together and face-to-face with its partners at the state level to present their concerns and begin to forge a robust and active state-local partnership to carry through the necessary reforms that can revitalize their communities.
- Download a copy of the Gateway Cities Compact. [PDF]
- Read more about the Gateway Cities Compact Signing Event
- Read more about the Gateway Cities Conference [PDF]
Massachusetts Gateway Cities Coalition.
Click on any of the city seals above to visit each community’s official web site.
Presentations
The following presentations on the Gateway Cities Initiative were given by the Urban Initiative’s Director, Edward M. Lambert, during several recent conferences and events:
The Gateway Cities Initiative - From Research to Results:
In this section of our Gateway Cities Project site, we highlight efforts and initiatives that have transpired as a result of the Urban Initiative’s work with its partners at MassINC, the Gateway Cities Coalition, the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus, and members of Governor Patrick’s Administration. These developments are a reflection of the strength of our collaborative work in achieving the goals of the Gateway Cities Coalition as set forth in the Gateway Cities Compact and the groundbreaking research of MassINC in their 2007 report, “Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities.”
Release of MassINC’s report Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities
February 2007
In cooperation with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, MassINC conducted significant research on economic development trends in Massachusetts, which culminated in the release of their landmark report entitled Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities: Lessons Learned and an Agenda for Renewal. The report identified eleven “Gateway” cities throughout the Commonwealth that have experienced steady and significant economic decline in recent decades as a result of neglect and flawed state economic and community development policies that have not only concentrated development in key knowledge industries in Greater Boston, but that have pushed development away from traditional urban cores and into the suburbs. This research report served as the impetus for subsequent developments and the creation of the Gateway Cities Coalition.
- To read MassINC’s report, click here.
The Urban Initiative and MassINC sign an agreement to work collaboratively on leading and promoting Gateway Cities Initiative
November 2008
In November 2008, Chancellor Jean MacCormack established the Urban Initiative at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in response to recommendations made in MassINC’s Gateway Cities report, which challenged the UMass system to become more deeply involved in setting an urban agenda for the Commonwealth and bringing their institutional resources to bear for the benefit and redevelopment of the 11 Gateway City communities. As a result of the Chancellor’s actions, MassINC and the Urban Initiative immediately began discussions around a potential partnership between both organizations that could unite the 11 Gateway Cities in an innovative and collaborative effort to redirect the state’s attention to the concerns of the Gateway Cities and their residents. These discussions led to the signing a memorandum between MassINC and the Urban Initiative establishing a formal partnership that has provided an organizational framework within which to assist in supporting and promoting the interests and efforts of the Gateway Cities and their leaders.
Gateway City Mayors & City Managers sign Gateway Cities Compact
May 19, 2008
On May 19, 2008, the Mayors and City Managers of the Gateway Cities gathered together at the Old State House in Boston to sign an historic document uniting their administrations and communities in a collaborative effort to develop and pursue policies that can work collectively to promote the revitalization of their communities.
To read more about this event and read the Compact, visit our Gateway Cities Compact Signing page.
Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray Announces the Brownfields Support Team Initiative
May 19, 2008
In addition to offering welcoming remarks and expressing the Patrick Administration’s support for the Gateway Cities cause during the signing of the Gateway Cities Compact, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray also announced the Administration’s new Brownfields Support Teams Initiative, which will bring together the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED), and MassDevelopment to expedite the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated brownfields.
- To read more about this initiative, click here.
Gateway City Legislators form a Legislative Caucus
June 2008
In June 2008, members of the state legislature who represent Gateway Cities formed a Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus, which is co-chaired by Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford and Senator Stephen Buoniconti of Springfield.
- Download a list of all Gateway City Legislators [PDF]
- Urban Legislators From 11 Cities to Form Caucus [PDF]
(New Bedford Standard Times, June 20, 2008)
MassINC Releases Policy Brief: Going for Growth – Promoting Business Investment in Massachusetts Gateway Cities
July 2008
In July 2008, Mass Inc released its first in a series of Policy Briefs devoted to public policy concerns in the Gateway Cities. The brief, entitled “Going for Growth: Promoting Business Investment in Massachusetts Gateway Cities” looks at the issue of geographic targeting and reevaluation of the state’s economic development programs to promote new business and industrial activity in the Gateway Cities and more effectively use limited state resources.
- Read of copy of the Going for Growth Policy Brief
Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray Announce 5 Pilot Sites to be Targeted for Assistance through the Brownfields Support Team Initiative
July 30, 2008
Following up on the announcement delivered by Lt. Governor Murray at the Gateway Cities Compact Signing event regarding the new Brownfields Support Teams Initiative, Governor Patrick announced that five pilot sites were identified to receive assistance through this new initiative. Of the five sites selected, four of the projects are located in the Gateway Cities of Fall River, Haverhill, Springfield, and Worcester.
To read more about this announcement, click here.
Undersecretary Tina Brooks Announces the Gateway Plus Action Grant
September 2008
As a part of Governor Deval Patrick’s commitment to community and economic development in the Commonwealth’s Gateway Cities, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced in September of 2008, a grant funding initiative for Gateway “Plus” communities to address neighborhood redevelopment in critical areas of each community. The Gateway “Plus” communities included not only the original 11 Gateway Cities, but an additional 9 communities that fit within DHCD’s 4-point eligibility criteria. These 9 communities have similar characteristics and histories to those of the 11 Gateway Cities and face significant challenges to renewal and economic development in the 21st Century knowledge economy. The action grant is intended to “support local planning efforts to expand housing opportunities for the Commonwealth’s residents, resulting in revitalization that creates and restores vibrant mixed-income neighborhoods.” In addition, the grant calls on communities to develop action plans that “reflect a shared vision of a neighborhood improvement strategy” by promoting opportunities for residents to become engaged in the process.
- To read more about the Gateway Plus Action Grant, click here.
The Urban Initiative and MassINC sponsor the first Gateway Cities Conference in Fall River
October 3, 2009
- To learn more about this event, visit our Gateway Cities Conference page.
Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus Launches Series of Meetings & Tours in Gateway Cities
October – November, 2008
In October 2008, the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus launched a strong of meetings and tours in the Gateway Cities. These events offered legislators an opportunity to meet fact-to-face with local officials as well as business and community leaders to discuss the particular concerns within each city and to discuss possible policy reforms and recommendations that could shape the Gateway Cites agenda. Thus far, Caucus meetings have taken place on the following dates in the indicated communities:
- October 7, 2008: Pittsfield & Springfield
- October 15, 2008: Brockton
- November 20, 2008: New Bedford
For further information regarding Caucus events and initiatives, please contact Representative Antonio Cabral’s office at 617-722-2140 or Senator Stephen Buoniconti’s office at 617-722-1660.
- Read more about the Caucus meeting in Springfield [PDF]
(Springfield Republican, October 4, 2008) - Read more about the Caucus meeting in Brockton [PDF]
- (Brockton Enterprise, October 16, 2008)
Governor Patrick Announces $1.35 Million in Gateway Plus Action Grants
November 25, 2009
On November 25, 2008, Governor Patrick and Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development, Tina Brooks, announced $1.35 million in Gateway Plus Action Grants for economic development efforts in 18 Gateway Plus communities. Administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), each community was awarded $75,000 in planning grants to promote efforts to revitalize struggling areas in Gateway Cities through an emphasis on mixed-income neighborhoods. The communities receiving grants included Chelsea, Chicopee, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Methuen, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.
- To read more about DHCD’s action grant award announcement, click here.
Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus Files “An Act to Promote Economic Development in Gateway Cities” (House Bill No. 2702)
Presented by Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford.
For a complete list of all bill sponsors, click on the link below to view the legislation.
On January 14, 2009, Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford and several of his colleagues in the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus filed a significant piece of legislation that targets initiatives and incentives for economic development in Gateway Cities. The bill defines Gateway Cities using the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) criteria and includes the original 11 Gateway Cities of Brockton, Fitchburg, Fall River, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester, as well as 12 additional Gateway Plus Communities, which include: Barnstable, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, Revere, Salem, Taunton, and Westfield. The bill has been filed with the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies which is chaired by Representative Brian S. Dempsey, a Gateway City Legislator from the City of Haverhill. The Urban Initiative, MassINC, and the Gateway Cities Coalition look forward to working with their partners in the Legislative Caucus to see through passage of this important bill.
- To read the House Bill No. 2702, click here.
- To read a fuller description of the bill’s proposals, click here.
Gateway city mayors and city managers unite in Boston for a legislative hearing and press conference on the steps of the Massachusetts State House September 30, 2009
- To read a fuller description of the event click here.
