CommonWealth Magazine

Amy Dain

Public policy research consultant, Dain Research, Newton

Stories by Amy Dain

In praise of downtowns, Main Streets

To give them a boost, end policies that codify car worship

Building a city center serving six cities

Emerging district needs a regional government approach

Route 128 needs land use leadership

The current plan for growth is just not working

Give accessory apartments a shot

Every municipality should permit them

Moving on from car-as-king development

We could build great places again if we can get the parking right

Building connectedness with star power

Too much of what's built on the municipal periphery lacks connections

Mystic + Malden: A development case study

Promising area doesn’t have to be an archipelago

Where should new housing go?

Reforms needed to build in residential districts

Zoning – the good and the bad

Sometimes exclusion is unintended; other times it’s not

Guess what’s anchoring many small downtowns?

Even in the age of online shopping, the answer is: bookstores

Malls reinventing themselves as ‘lifestyle centers’

Mixing some housing, city amenities with shops, restaurants

Stop poking the Bear

The West should try some empathy with Russia

Should we smoot the subways?

Can our geeky side make waiting on the T more pleasant?

Are dashboards the right tool to measure progress?

What sounds good and exciting isn’t always useful

Municipalities shouldn’t go it alone on IT

Potholes abound for DPWs; coordination could help

In Newtonville, smart growth is taking hold

Stability is great, but sometimes change is good

Boston Public Market: Looks great, makes sense

Locally produced food sold in a smart way

Brutalist buildings need some TLC

Despite drama, humor, they no longer work

The state should encourage accessory apartments

Could be a partial answer to housing shortage

Riley’s turnaround effort bigger than schools

Lawrence groups and city in general pitch in to revamp education system