This map of Lexington, Massachusetts exemplifies the inaccessibility of public transportation into urban centers for multifamily housing residents. Bus stops nearly exclusively run through the parts of town that have historically only allowed high density housing development with a special permit, bypassing those that live in multifamily structures.

Zoning and Public Transit in Lexington, MA

Zones updated in 2014, bus stops updated in 2011

Source: MassGIS

The lack of access to public transit among dense housing communities presents barriers to commuting into the city for many and contributes to the burgeoning housing crisis by keeping housing demand close to the city.

Patterns like this persist in towns throughout the Boston metropolitan area, and officials seek solutions for the rising rents and housing shortages in urban areas.

In 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development issued a law requiring “MBTA Communities” to allow denser housing along MBTA routes. They hope linking dense housing and public transportation will help to cool the Boston-area housing crisis.

Lexington, a town with a history of segregation and opposition to subsidized housing, just became the first of these 177 communities served by MBTA transit lines to approve concrete measures to meet the law’s requirements. In April 2023, Lexington Town Meeting voted to approve rezoning the town. Following this decision, newly defined zoning districts along MBTA routes will allow developers to build dense, multifamily housing without jumping through the hoops of obtaining a special permit first. Previously, this type of development was not a right, and residents in multifamily housing were frequently sequestered to the parts of Lexington that are least accessible to bus routes connected to Boston.

Proponents of this change claim that access to transit will provide city workers more affordable housing, helping to manage housing shortages and curb the crisis of high rents. Others take a climate-facing approach, emphasizing increased use of public transportation as a much-needed way to reduce emissions.

As the state enforces rezoning, the housing crisis is expected to simmer down, and maps like this one are expected to morph, with multifamily zoning districts closely hugging the MBTA bus lines.

Data Sources

MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information). “MassGIS Data: MBTA Bus Routes and Stops.” Mass.gov, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-mbta-bus-routes-and-stops#downloads-.

MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information). “MassGIS Data: Property Tax Parcels.” Mass.gov, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-property-tax-parcels