Community Science, selected for our national perspective and expertise in community development and urban planning, evaluated Phase 1 of MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI). TDI aims to catalyze “transformative redevelopment” in ten Gateway cities, helping their people, communities, and small businesses thrive. Each of these cities is a formerly-industrial cities that experienced disinvestment over the last decades. TDI goals include enhancing local public-private engagement and community identity, improving residents’ quality of life, and increasing investment and economic activity.
The team assessed TDI’s impact, recommended improvements, and documented TDI’s influence within the MassDevelopment organization. Other tasks included refining the TDI Index (with the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute) to capture progress and help select a second round of industrial cities. The team interviewed MassDevelopment’s staff and TDI stakeholders in each district, conducted focus groups, went on four district site visits, and extensively reviewed TDI and district documents. 00544