18th MHP Housing Institute

Event Details

Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. Programming will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and the sessions will conclude at 4 p.m. Review the agenda.

Note: Bus transportation will be provided for the optional neighborhood walk and site visits on June 4. Space is limited for both; you can sign up for one of these two choices when you register.

The binder will be available shortly after the conference. It will include the slides from both days, speaker bios, and a glossary. Refunds will not be offered to registrants who do not attend the event.

AICP Certification Maintenance

CM credits are approved for AICP members. More information on AICP's CM program can be found at www.planning.org/cm.

Getting there and lodging

Parking will be $9 self-pay at Major Taylor Parking Garage (88 Martin Luther King Blvd.).

If you plan to take the train, Union Station is a 0.4 mile walk from the DCU Convention Center. The MBTA Trip Planner tool can simplify planning your commuter rail trip to Union Station in Worcester.

Things to do in Worcester

• Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District
• Discover Central Massachusetts

Wednesday, June 4

• Fireside Chat with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Greg Reibman, President & CEO, Charles River Regional Chamber
• Lunchtime Plenary: State Housing Plan and Unlocking Housing Production Report, EOHLC staff

Policy & Planning Breakout Sessions

• Modular Housing: A New Frontier

Modular housing is a promising tool to drive down construction costs and increase speed of delivering quality affordable housing. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council will review their analysis on how modular housing can advance local housing strategies. We will also hear from Andover-based manufacturer ReFrame Systems on how municipalities can streamline their regulatory systems to prepare for modular housing.

• From Policy to Practice: Understanding and Implementing the Commonwealth’s By-Right ADU Law

The Commonwealth’s by-right ADU law went into effect in February 2025. Join EOHLC, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and municipal planning staff in reviewing the model zoning and learn about best practices and case studies from local practitioners to help communities meet the requirements of this new state-wide law.

• Playing the Long Game: Accelerating Housing Supply in Your Community

Addressing our housing supply shortage requires tremendous patience from an interconnected network of stakeholders and applying a combination of strategies. Learn how to apply the APA and NLC's Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook in your community and hear from Beverly and Brookline officials on how they're advancing housing production.

Housing Development Breakout Sessions

• Unlocking Housing Production on Public Land: Feasibility (Part I)

Using publicly owned land for housing development is a critical strategy in tackling housing shortage while also meeting local needs. In this session, trainers will guide attendees through steps on assessing feasibility needed prior to releasing an RFP.

• Unlocking Housing Production on Public Land: Land Disposition & RFP (Part II)

Part 2 of unlocking housing production on public land will take attendees through the steps on disposing of public land under Chapter 30B, the Uniform Procurement Act. Next, trainers will review best practices in drafting outcome-driven Request for Proposals to balance local need with financial feasibility.

• Affordable Housing Finance 101

Understanding the fundamentals of financing an income-restricted affordable housing projects will help municipal officials, staff, and housing advocates’ efforts in driving housing production in their communities without creating unintended obstacles. This session will provide an overview of what financially makes or breaks a project and the complex system of subsidies critical to the success of housing projects.

Limited spots are available to join a neighborhood walk and site visits when the sessions wrap up at 4 p.m. Sign up for these with event registration. To join the wait list, contact Emma McGurren (emcgurren@mhp.net).

Thursday, June 5

Plenary: Reclaiming our why: Affirming Fair Housing and Equal Access in Our Communities

Presentation of Housing Hero Awards; review past awardees

Policy & Planning Breakout Sessions

• Intergenerational Conversations

Perspectives on housing (supply, cost, availability, regulations, ideal location; transit access) can vary widely depending on our age and generational affiliation. This interactive session will provide an opportunity for participants to engage with intergenerational groups to share our housing stories.

• Debunking False Choices Between New Housing Development and the Environment

With coordinated state and local policies we can meet our housing supply needs, expand water and wastewater infrastructure and improve environmental protection and land conservation - all at the same time.

• Using Data to Identify Planning and Development Priorities

MHP’s Center for Housing Data and Way Finders will share their experience and findings from a data-driven effort to identify development and redevelopment sites in western Massachusetts. The team will share analytical tools, strategies, and resources to help identify neighborhoods and parcels in your own community that might be good candidates for development. This presentation will also discuss how strong regional collaboration can better position leaders to advocate for research and policies that benefit multiple municipalities with shared housing objectives.

Outreach and Advocacy Breakout Sessions

• Building Local Board Capacity to Support Housing

Local boards are critical to moving housing efforts forward. Yet between member changes and competing interests, the needed focus on affordable housing can languish. Learn from examples across the state of how to support and strengthen boards to address local housing needs.

• Beyond Business as Usual: Re-imagining Creative & Accessible Community Engagement Strategies

People love their communities. We want them to become safer, healthier, more prosperous places with housing options for all. But the standard approach to public meetings and community engagement overwhelmingly centers public speaking, lecture style education and written testimony-all approaches that squander creativity and unintentionally leave people out. So, what would it look like to facilitate truly meaningful discussions between citizens and planners? What if they could be fun, or playful even?

Join this hands-on session to learn about creative strategies in community engagement and how they can apply to your context: from the 'place it’ method originated by James Rojas and John Kamp to "Game of Zones" developed by Minnesota based activists and storytelling techniques and more!

• De-escalation Strategies in Public engagement: A Panel Discussion on Navigating Open Hostility

What happens when authentic community engagement and/or public input processes go off the rails and/or lead to open hostility? How do we maintain an accessible and online presence while also braving the often fraught and politically polarized conversations on social media? The negative impacts of open hostility can range from adverse effects to our community's collective well-being to project delays, safety concerns and more. If you have ever experienced or witnessed this, you are not alone! Join this panel discussion to build community and leave our session with strategies, tools and tips on de-escalation, self/community care and thoughtful meeting design to pro-actively address concerns.