State Agencies

On the state level, EOEA has partnered with other state agencies, not only to demonstrate the interrelationship among interest areas, but to enhance programs and broaden the message. By inviting other state agencies to participate in EOEA's smart growth efforts, EOEA forged innovative partnerships with the Commonwealth's Housing, Transportation, Energy, and Economic Development agencies. The involvement of these agencies is essential to promoting smart growth since environmental, housing and economic development issues are inextricably linked and need to be balanced in the local decision-making process.

This partnership originated with the Community Preservation Initiative and grew stronger through the joint creation of the Community Development Plan Program (Executive Order 418) which helped communities develop GIS based plans depicting how they will balance open space and resource protection, housing, transportation, and economic development goals. In recent years, the agencies have cooperated on a host of smart growth efforts under the Office for Commonwealth Development including development of the Sustainable Development Principles, implementation of Commonwealth Capital, and the provision of technical assistance.

Regional Planning Agencies

Other key partners in the effort to realize smart growth are the state's 13 regional planning agencies (RPAs) that work on an individual or intercommunity level with cities and towns within their planning districts. Over the years the RPAs have been critical to EOEA's smart growth efforts. EOEA contracted with the RPAs to produce the buildout map series for each community in their regions so that all 351 communities would have a buildout using one standard methodology. RPA staff also administered the Community Development Plan program on behalf of the state and produced many of the 225 Community Development Plans created statewide. Recently the RPAs have assisted communities with their planning and regulatory activities through Smart Growth Technical Assistance grants.

Green Neighborhoods Alliance

The Green Neighborhoods Alliance, coordinated by the Massachusetts Office for Coastal Zone Management (CZM), is made up of planners, environmentalists, state and municipal officials, lawyers, developers and real estate agents dedicated to the promotion of Open Space Residential Design throughout Massachusetts.

Low Impact Development Working Group

A mix of developers, realtors, engineers, conservation groups, and local, regional, state, and federal agencies dedicated to promoting Low Impact Development (LID). Coordinated by EOEA and CZM, these organizations collaborate to give presentations and conduct outreach as well as to develop technical manuals and fact sheets, regulatory models, and associated outreach materials on the technique.

Community Preservation Coalition

The Community Preservation Coalition helps EOEA advance smart growth by encouraging passage and strategic use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds at the local level. The Coalition is comprised of over 60 organizations throughout the state representing affordable housing, historic preservation, open space and other interests. Achieving smart growth requires financial resources, and the CPA continues to be one of the key sources of the funding communities need to achieve housing, land preservation, recreation, and historic preservation goals.

EOEA collaborates with several nonprofit organizations that are working to advance environmental equity in land planning and parks development in historically underserved communities; namely lower-income and minority neighborhoods. Focusing on brownfield remediation and urban land conservation, this collaboration of groups is working to enhance quality of life for urban residents including improving environmental health and creating environmental assets, such as parks, where communities do not have access to greenspace.

Watershed Organizations

The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition and the Commonwealth's watershed organizations are important advocates for water resources promoting better conservation and development practices in order to ensure the availability of water for human consumption and habitat preservation.

Land Trusts

An important component of smart growth is strategic conservation of land. Local, regional, and statewide land trusts, and their umbrella organization the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, play in important role in identifying lands for protection and working with municipalities, the state, and other partners to permanently conserve these properties.

Communities and Organizations

A goal of EOEA's smart growth efforts has been to bring organizations, municipal officials, and residents together across community boundaries. Communities are finding more and more that good planning cannot occur in a vacuum, but must occur in collaboration and cooperation with neighboring communities across municipal borders. Through coordinated events and other means EOEA has worked with established organizations that are focused on intercommunity work such as the John H. Chaffee Blackstone Heritage Corridor Commission, Vision 2020, 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership, the Essex National Heritage Area, and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod.

Included on this page are links to many of our partners. This list is not meant to be exhaustive and will continue to grow with the further development of this website.

State Agencies

Statewide Planning Organizations

Massachusetts Regional Planning Agencies

Statewide Environmental Organizations

Watershed Organizations