Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning

Field Projects

Field Projects integrates theory and practice by providing students with an opportunity to work on real-world challenges. Since 1977, UEP students have completed over 300 field projects with community groups, nonprofits, and local government agencies. These projects have focused on a variety of critical issues, such as housing, community development, water, parks and open space, energy, food, workforce development, and child development. A number of projects have influenced city and state policy, led to further project funding, and won prestigious awards.

Students conduct research and analysis and provide recommendations on priority issues to help advance the goals of Field Projects partners. The course is required of first-year UEP MA candidates during the spring semester. Field Projects covers many required competencies and offers a rich opportunity to apply theories, while honing problem-solving and other skills. Students work in teams of four and generally spend about 10 hours a week on their project. The work culminates in early May with a team presentation to the class, partner, and community.

If interested in reviewing Field Projects from earlier years, please email UEP for more information.

MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning MS in Environmental Policy and Planning

Recent Field Projects

2021 Projects

Project: A Trail of Two Towns: Assessing the Applicability of the Trail Town Program in Athol and Orange, MA
Client: Towns of Athol and Orange, MA

Project: Building Climate Resiliency and Justice in Dorchester
Client: VietAID

Project: City of Somerville Community Preservation Act: Program Evaluation
Client: City of Somerville

Project: Measuring the Impacts of the Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust
Client: Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust

Project: Building with Lower Embodied Carbon
Client: MA Clean Energy Center

Project: Beyond Common Concerns: Investigating 40B Developments in Massachusetts
Client: Citizens Housing and Planning Association

Project: Prioritizing Massachusetts Childcare Workers: An Examination of the Potential Benefits of Worker Cooperatives
Client: Community Labor United

Project: No Waste to Spare: An Economic and Spatial Analysis of Massachusetts’ Reuse Economy
Client: MA Department of Environmental Protection

Project: Public Housing in Massachusetts: Process, Implementation, and Applicant Responsiveness
Client: MA Department of Housing and Community Development

Project: Rebuilding Broadway: Retail Vacancy on East Somerville’s Main Street
Client: East Somerville Main Streets

Project: Placemaking Strategies and Opportunities Along Salem Street, Medford, MA
Client: City of Medford

Project: Coastal Resiliency: Climate Adaptation Planning for Provincetown’s Historic District
Client: Town of Provincetown

2020 Projects

Project: A Fairway Forward: Golf Course Conversions in Canton, Massachusetts
Client: Town of Canton, MA

Project: What Counts in Mobility: Improving Planning Tools for a Multi-Modal Future
Client: LivableStreets Alliance

Project: Green Jobs for Green Homes: Job Training for Building Retrofits in Somerville
Client: Somerville Community Corporation

Project: MassRoutes: Developing a GIS-Based Screening Tool for Equity Centered Clean Transportation Investments in Massachusetts
Client: Union of Concerned Scientists

Project: Cracking the Code: How Boston is Trying to Address Child Care through Zoning
Client: Community Labor United

Project: A Review of Structural Racism and the Built Environment in Massachusetts
Client: Mass in Motion

Project: Reed & Barton Reimagined: Exploring the Redevelopment Potential of a Former Industrial Site in Norton, Massachusetts
Client: Town of Norton, MA

Project: Four Centuries Young: The Case for a Planning Department in Winthrop
Client: Town of Winthrop, MA

Project: Mucking Around the Marsh: Resiliency Techniques and Recommendations for Marshland Management
Client: Great Marsh Partnership

2019 Reports

Project: Athol Solar Zoning Bylaw Assessment
Client: Town of Athol, MA

Project: More Than Bike Lanes: From Bike Equity to Bike Justice in Greater Boston
Client: Boston Cyclists Union

Project: Understanding Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care in Massachusetts
Client: Community Labor United

Project: Reclaiming the Rules of Land Use: Demystifying Zoning as an Anti-Displacement Strategy
Client: Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network

Project: Up against the Wall: Barriers and Incentives for Dam Removal
Client: Ipswich River Watershed Association

Project: Activating Columbia Road: Reframing a Missing Link
Client: LivableStreets Alliance

Project: Organics Diversion in the City of Medford, MA
Client: City of Medford, MA

Project: Nature-based Solutions in the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
Client: MassAudubon and The Nature Conservancy

Project: Priced Out: The Future of Graduate and Faculty Housing at Tufts
Client: Office of Dean of Student Affairs and Campus Planning and Development Committee

2018 Reports

Project: Wasted: A Greenhouse Gas Inventory of Food Waste
Client: Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Department of Clean Energy, Boston, MA

Project: Clean Green Driving Machines: Reducing Municipal Vehicle Fuel Consumption
Client: Mass Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division

Project: Supporting Small Scale Food Manufacturing: An Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities
Client: CommonWealth Kitchen

Project: Imagining CoHo
Client: Tufts University Office of Campus Planning

Project: Soil in the City
Client: Urban Farming Institute

Project: Engaging the City
Client: The City of Boston, Housing Innovation Lab

Project: Growing the Mystic River Greenways
Client: Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA)

Project: Replanting Metro Boston's Roofs
Client: Recover Green Roofs

2017 Reports

Project: Pathways to Transfer Private Housing to Permanent Affordability
Client: Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network

Project: Fostering a Local Food Economy in Revere, MA: Food Business Growth and Community Engagement
Client: Revere on the Move

Project: Analyzing Risk of Displacement and Affordable Housing Opportunities in Southwest Boston
Client: Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation

Project: Lowell Restorative Justice Hub: Building Community Coalitions
Client: Our Restorative Justice

Project: On the Hook: Supporting a Healthy Fishing Future in Massachusetts
Awarded the 2017 Outstanding Planning Award for Best Student Project from the American Planning Association, Massachusetts Chapter
Client: Fishing Partnership

Project: Charles River Conservancy Swim Park Project
Client: Charles River Conservancy

Project: CAAS and Its Community: A Dissemination Plan for Somerville
Client: Community Action Agency of Somerville

Project: Taking a Bite: Food Business Preservation in Union Square, Somerville
Client: Somerville Arts Council Nibble

2016 Reports

Project: Envisioning a Cultural District for Chelsea
Client: Chelsea Department of Planning & Development

Project: The Potential for Community-Shared Solar in Massachusetts: Expanding Access to Low and Moderate Income Households
Client: Community Labor United & Green Justice Coalition 

Project: The Case for Community Land Trusts: Building a Livable Boston & Mattapan Study of Community and Gentrification
Client: Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network

Project: Greening Somerville
Client: Groundwork Somerville

Project: Roslindale Arboretum Gateway Path: A Community Vision
Client: LivableStreets, WalkUp Roslindale

Project: Transition-Age Youth in Massachusetts
Client: Luk, Inc.

Project: Massachusetts Food Access Index: A Pilot Method for Assessing Food Access in the Commonwealth
Client: Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Project: Medford Conversations: New Opportunities for Inclusion
Client: Medford Conversations, Medford Community Coalition

Project: Reimagining Johnson Park: A Design Proposal for Swampscott, MA
Client: Town of Swampscott