Community Development > Mass Ave Planning Study - Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway

Mass Ave Planning Study - Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway

The Mass Ave Planning Study (MAPS), spearheaded by the Cambridge Community Development Department, is creating a vision plan for what Massachusetts Avenue will look like in 2040 between Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridge Common.

This plan is part of the implementation of Envision Cambridge, the City's comprehensive plan. It will study various aspects such as land use, zoning, urban design, housing, climate resiliency, small business support, mobility, and public space.

The team will work with the community to develop a shared vision to shape future development types and scales, and lead an engagement process to capture all the voices that call this part of Mass Ave home.

Latest Updates

Mass Ave Planning Study - Plan Recommendations Community Meeting

In case you missed our community meeting on April 10, don't worry! We've got all the materials to share. Please click here to view the presentation boards that summarized the recommendations. We also handed out a newspaper to read all about it!

The recommendations cover the study area, from Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway, with multiple focus areas, including South of Porter, North Mass Ave, and Porter Square.

They follow the themes of More of a Neighborhood & Destination, More Inviting, Easier to Get Around and More Housing Options organize the ideas.

These boards were presented in an open house format. Please take a moment and explore the ideas for Mass Ave!

Community Engagement

Recent Meetings

MAPS Community Meeting - Final Planning Study Recommendations

On April 10, we hosted a community gathering to share the final recommendations of the Mass Ave Planning Study at the Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University.

After many Working Group and community meetings, focus groups, business interviews, thousands of survey responses and countless conversations with community members, we were thrilled to share the work.

This meeting presented the suite of recommendations developed with the community over the course of the sixteen-month planning process. The Community Development department will be shared ideas that will help to:

Make Mass Ave more beautiful
Produce more housing
Provide more neighborhood amenities
Support small businesses
Improve sidewalks and walkability

To view the materials from the meeting, please visit the Meeting Materials section of the website.

Meeting Materials

Working Group Meetings

MAPS Working Group - Meeting 9 (MAPS Zoning Recommendations) 03/13/25 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 9 (MAPS Zoning Recommendations) 03/13/25 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 8 (North Mass Ave + Porter Square Final Recommendations) 02/26/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 8 (North Mass Ave + Porter Square Final Recommendations) 02/26/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 7 (Zoning - NMA and South of Porter) 12/11/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 7 (Zoning - NMA and South of Porter) 12/11/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 6 (North Mass Ave) 10/30/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 6 (North Mass Ave) 10/30/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 5 (North Mass Ave) 10/11/24 presentation and meeting minutes
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 06/27/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 06/27/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 3 (South of Porter) 04/24/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 2 (South of Porter) 03/14/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 2 (South of Porter) 03/14/24 presentation
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 1 02/08/24 video
MAPS Working Group - Meeting 1 02/08/24 presentation

Community Meetings

MAPS Community Meeting 8 (Plan Recommendations) 04/10/25 meeting boards and newspaper
MAPS Community Meeting 7 (Porter Square) 01/30/25 presentation
MAPS Community Meeting 7 (Porter Square) 01/30/25 video
MAPS Community Meeting 6 (North Mass Ave) 11/14/24 online open house feedback form and boards
MAPS Community Meeting 5 (North Mass Ave) 09/26/24 presentation
MAPS Community Meeting 5 (North Mass Ave) 09/26/24 video and chat
MAPS Community Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 07/25/24 presentation
MAPS Community Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 07/25/24 video
MAPS Community Meeting 3 (South of Porter) 05/29/24 meeting boards
MAPS Community Meeting 2 (South of Porter) 03/27/24 presentation
MAPS Community Meeting 1 02/29/24 video and transcript
MAPS Community Meeting 1 02/29/24 presentation

Working Project Schedule

Study Area

The Study Area for the Mass Ave Planning Study stretches from the Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway, two miles of Mass Ave.

map with streets and colored lines

Key Resources

Local and Area Plans

Citywide Plans

Envision Cambridge (2019)
Resilient Cambridge Plan (2021)
Urban Forest Master Plan (2020)
Five-year Sidewalk and Street Reconstruction Plans (ongoing)
Ten-year Infrastructure Plans (ongoing)
Cambridge Bicycle Plan (2020)

Links to Neighborhood Planning

Mass Ave Planning Study Working Group

For a more complete description of the working group and its members please reference the City Council packet from January 22, 2024 (page 88)