New Data - Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit Information
Thanks to its participation in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and the help of the Urban Institute, MAPC is pleased to offer these two datalayers on federal income tax credits. The Earned Income Tax Credit lowers the income tax burden for workers with low wages. It is the largest anti-poverty tax program designed especially to help low-income families with children. The Child Tax Credit has more lenient income restrictions and provides tax relief for most families with children, excluding only those with very high-income. These two new datalayers help you explore how Massachusetts residents have taken advantage of these two programs from 1997 – 2005.

New Data - Community Preservation Act Municipalities, 2008
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) helps cities and towns address three core community concerns: acquring and preserving open space and recreational resources, protcting historic assets, and creating affordable housing. As of May 2008, 133 Massachusetts communities have adopted the CPA - over one third of all the cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Check out the CPA layer to see a list of all CPA ballot elections that have been held, both successful and unsuccessful, along with information about surcharge, exemption, and voting date. This layer is continuously updated.

Hands-on Training - Thursday, October 2, 2008
MAPC holds MetroBoston DataCommon user training at the MAPC conference room on a monthly basis. Attendees include town planners, government employee, staff from non-profit organizations and private research organizations, etc. Users receive a demonstration of the site to familiarize them with the various components of the MetroBoston DataCommon website. Then they receive a step-by-step tutorial of the web mapping tool to conduct analysis and make customized maps.

Join the upcoming training on Thursday, October 2, 2008 1:00pm - 3:00pm.
This two hour session will teach you how to:
• quickly access statistics about your city or town;
• conduct analysis with social and economic data;
• customize your own maps;
• print-out maps or email maps.

RSVP for your spot today, email Susan Brunton, sbrunton@mapc.org or call (617) 451-2770 x 2066.
MAPC address: 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111

New Data - Environmental Justice Populations
The Environmental Justice (EJ) Populations layer represents neighborhoods across the state with high minority, non-English speaking, low-income, and foreign-born populations. Data in this layer were derived from 2000 U.S. Census data. Such areas are the focus of EOEEA's EJ Policy, which was developed to use state resources to ensure that EJ populations receive a strong voice in environmental decision-making.

New Data - Energy Star Buildings
Reducing the amount of energy used by our commercial and industrial buildings fights climate change, reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and helps businesses in the face of rising energy costs. US Environmental Protection agency has created a program that identifies facilities that measurably cost less to operate and improve the quality of our environment. Facilities that have earned the ENERGY STAR generate about one third less carbon dioxide and use about 35% less energy than similar non-ENERGY STAR buildings. Check this map out to find ENERGY STAR labeled buildings in Massachusetts.

New Data - Renewable Energy in Massachusetts, MTC
This data layer shows renewable energy initiatives funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust from 2001 through October 2007. There are over 600 clean power projects funded statewide. Projects range from the installation of, to research on, the following technologies: advanced biomass power conversion, biodiesel cogeneration, fuel cell, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas, photovoltaic, wind, and other (including hydrogen, storage and controls). This is a thematic data layer by municipality; location of the points are representative and do not necessarily impart an actual location.

Metropolitan Perspectives 2008, MAPC's Calendar and Annual Report
Metropolitan Perspectives 2008, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council Calendar and Annual Report, has arrived! This colorful publication features maps and charts that describe issues, ideas and plans of regional significance in the Boston Metropolitan region. Highlights from this year’s calendar include clean energy technologies, the Community Preservation Act, impervious surfaces, earthquake locations, housing unit permits and comprehensive permits. The calendar is available by request or can be downloaded from the Regional Map Gallery.

Updated Community Snapshots!
The Community Snapshots have been updated. New data on jobs, unemployment, building permits, crime, water use, and MCAS have been added to these useful four page reports. These profiles track trends and current conditions for all 101 cities and towns in the MAPC region. Just select the city or town you would like to explore in “snapshot” mode (Adobe pdf) from the drop-down menu on the left.

New Data - Population Projections, 2000-2030
The MBDC now has population and employment projections to year 2030 for 164 eastern Massachusetts communities posted on the mapping tool. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) creates population and employment projections as a part of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization's 25 year transportation plan, where future transportation improvements are identified. These figures demonstrate likely growth patterns in the region if past trends continue into the future.Key findings indicate that the region is expected to add 465,000 people and 240,000 jobs between the years 2000 and 2030.

Communities can use these numbers in a variety of ways, including as a way to estimate likely traffic and water impacts over time, and to help communities to plan for where and how to site development.

As part of the MetroFuture initiative, MAPC is using the projections for its 101 communities to develop a picture of the region's likely future if current trends continue.

For more information about the projection methodology or additional spreadsheets,click here.

Suburban Mobility/TDM Special Datasets
Wish your town had more public transit options? The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has made $650,000 available to suburban municipalities, unserved or underserved by public transit to develop suburban mobility programs. Indicators to help communities think about whether a suburban mobility project makes sense for them are based on best practices and reported in the region-wide Suburban Transit Opportunities Study, Phase I. These indicators help identify potential markets for transit. The MetroBoston DataCommon has assembled map layers in the DataMap tool to help communities use these indicators to determine their potential for funding under this program. Data layers can be found in the DataMap tool under the Special Datasets folder, Suburban Mobility/TDM. Letters of interest must be submitted by May 16th. Click here for more details on the program and successful demand-responsive transit service contributing factors.

MAPC’s Traffic and Air Pollution Map Helps State Rep’s Pitch for Two Bills
Rep. Denise Provost recently used a map from MAPC’s 2007 calendar to pitch two bills to reduce health concerns for people living near high-traffic areas. The September map “Heavy Traffic Affects Air Quality and Health” shows areas in the Metro Boston region where more than 100,000 vehicles travel per day, and where populations living within 100 yards of roadways or intersections would be at an increased risk for cardiac or pulmonary disease. Click here to read the article from the State House News.

To download the map the “Heavy Traffic Affects Air Quality and Health” map and see other maps highlighted in the Map Gallery click here.