Environmental and Transportation Planning Division

• What's New
• About the Environmental and Transportation Planning Division
• Programs and Services
• Active and Upcoming Infrastructure Projects
• Committees
• Resources
• Awards
• For More Information, including staff contacts

What's New

Cambridge is one of the 35 cities and towns in Massachusetts designated as a “green community” by the state Department of Energy Resources. This was the first round of designations under the Massachusetts Green Communities Act of 2008. To attain eligibility, the City had to demonstrate that Cambridge meets 5 criteria, including adoption of an energy use reduction plan for municipal facilities, adoption of a fuel efficient vehicles policy, and adoption of the Stretch Energy Code. See more information.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is overseeing the reconstruction of the bridges in the Charles River Basin between Boston and Cambridge over the next 8 years.

Western Avenue is slated to be fully reconstructed in 2011, including significant utility and surface restoration work geared toward reducing stormwater runoff through use of low impact desing (LID) techniques. As part of the planning process, the City Manager has appointed an advisory committee to work with city staff in making recommendations on the surface restoration plans. Advisory committee and neighborhood meetings began in February 2010 and are ongoing. A conceptual design is expected to be decided upon in the summer of 2010.

Bicycle Trends in Cambridge, 2010. Bicycling has more than doubled in Cambridge since 2002. There are more bikes than people in Cambridgeport. More people bike and walk to work in Cambridge than in other U.S. cities. For these and more fun facts check out this new summary of bicycle number trends in Cambridge.

Bicycling and walking are the future of transportation, according to the US Department of Transportation. “Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use. Increased commitment to and investment in bicycle facilities and walking networks can help meet goals for cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities." Read the full Policy Statement of March, 2010.

Wayfinding signage and maps help people bike between Harvard Square and the Minuteman Bikeway.

New Bicycle Markings help to share the road. See more information on Shared Lane Pavement Markings.

A new Bicycle Parking brochure is available online. (PDF, 1865 KB)This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.

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About the Environmental and Transportation Planning Division

The Environmental and Transportation Planning Division of the Community Development Department is responsible for improving the city's quality of life, by working to protect and improve the city's environment and natural resources and by planning improvements to the city's transportation system.

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Programs and Services

Programs provided by the division fall within the following areas:

• Bicycle Programs
• Climate Protection Initiatives
• Environmental Planning
• Parking and Transportation Demand Management (TDM and PTDM)
• Pedestrian Programs
• Regional Planning
• Roadway, Sidewalk and Path Improvements
• Traffic Calming

The City has a number of projects to carry out these programs. Many of them involve more than one department or outside agency. Among them are:

• Annual Bike Week
• Bike Parking Program
• CambridgeWalks
• Crosswalk Safety Improvement Program
• Ecoteams
• EZRide Shuttle
• Go Green Month
• Green Buildings
• Enhanced Bus Stop Signage Project
• Points 4 Safety
• PTDM Plans
• Sidewalk Snow Clearance
• TransitWorks
• Transportation Infrastructure Projects
• Urban Ring Project

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Active and Upcoming Infrastructure Projects

Click here to view updates and schedules for active and upcoming projects.This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.

Go to Construction Project Updates and Schedules (from the DPW webpage)

To learn more about these projects go to Roadway, Sidewalk and Path Projects.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is overseeing the reconstruction of the bridges in the Charles River Basin between Boston and Cambridge over the next 8 years.

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Committees

The following committees assist the division with current and ongoing projects:

• Bicycle Committee (meets once a month)
• Pedestrian Committee (meets once a month)
• Climate Committee (meets once a month)
• Western Avenue Advisory Committee (new)

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Resources

The following resources are available through the Environmental and Transportation Planning Division:

• Publications
• Recommended Internet Links for More Information
• Climate Protection Plan
• About the City Hall Annex: A Green Building
• Pedestrian Plan
• Pedestrian Signals Pamphlet
• Bus Shelter Map
• Cambridge Bicycle Facilities Map (349 KB)
• Sidewalk Bike Ban Maps
• Bicycle Bibliography and Research Information (190 KB)
• Useful Phone Numbers for Bicyclists and Pedestrians
• Transportation Options: Links to Information about Public Transit, Bicycling, Carpools/Vanpools and Walking
• Public Transit Map
• Traffic Calming Brochure (357 KB, PDF format)

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Awards

2008

The City of Cambridge was named the Best Walking City in America by Prevention Magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association.

2007

The City of Cambridge received an Environmental Merit Award in recognition of its exceptional work and commitment to the environment from the New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

2006

The City of Cambridge was named an EPA Best Workplaces for Commuters.

The City of Cambridge was chosen as one of only three recipients to receive a 2006 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Environmental Purchasing and Sustainability Award, as a result of collective efforts in the areas of climate protection, energy management, green building construction, greening of our fleet, outreach to businesses to become climate leaders, and energy fairs for residents.

The Community Development Department received a Golden Shoe Award (PDF, 35KB) from the Cambridge Health Alliance.This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.

The City of Cambridge received the award for the completion of the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign's 5 Milestone Program from the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability.

2005

The City of Cambridge received the Accessible America Award from the National Organization on Disability.

The Cambridge City Hall Annex received a certified LEED-NC v2 Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

2004

The City of Cambridge received the Governor's Award for Smart Growth Leadership for its "Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Program" from the Massachusetts Office for Commonwealth Development.

2001

The City of Cambridge received the Patriot Chapter 2001 Award from the Association for Commuter Transportation.

2000

The City of Cambridge received the “2000 Pedestrian Project Award for Policies for the Traffic Calming Program: Pedestrians are the Focus” from the Institute of Transportation Engineers in cooperation with the Partnership for a Walkable America.

1999

The City of Cambridge received the 1999 Planning Project Award for the City of Cambridge Parking and Transportation Demand Ordinance from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association.

The Minuteman Bikeway received a Regional Excellence Award “in recognition of significant demonstration of regional cooperation by the communities of Arlington, Bedford, Cambridge, and Lexington” from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

1996

The City of Cambridge was recognized by the United State Department of Energy as a Rebuild America Partner in 1996 for its “leadership and achievement in community revitalization and economic development through building retrofit programs that promote energy efficiency, environmental quality, and local empowerment in partnership with local government, business and industry, community institutions, and civic organizations.

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For More Information

For more information about these programs please call 617/349-4604, or send an email to randers@cambridgema.gov. The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.

Go to the Environmental and Transportation Planning Staff Contacts List.

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