Boston Region Post-Disaster Housing Policies

Boston OEM, through a Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, sought to analyze the impact of hurricanes and earthquakes on the region’s housing stock and to recommend policies to create a more robust housing supply.

As planning policy experts and subconsultants to TetraTech, DREAM interviewed local planning and housing staff, and combined this knowledge with our expertise in best practices and innovations, to create a housing policy report. Geared towards municipal leaders, the report provides a high-level menu of policy choices to enable each community to plan for housing in safer and more resilient locations. Recommendations include: determining appropriate areas for accessible and convenient housing; removing common barriers and impediments to compact and varied housing types; building upon the strength of local relationships in neighborhood organizations; and using government resources to pool efforts within and across community lines.