Neighborhood Planning Initiative

On the left, the words Neighborhood Planning Initiative. On the right, an aerial photo of trees and houses in Cambridge.

What is NPI?

Cambridge’s Neighborhood Planning Initiative (NPI) gives everyone in Cambridge access to local planning! Together, we will work to improve the places and activities that are central to your daily life.

The NPI offers ways to share your ideas, join with your neighbors, and connect with City staff. NPI activities focus on four community objectives:

Imagine your neighborhood Connect with your neighbors Discover your neighborhood Empower community leaders  

Cambridge is made up of 13 different neighborhoods 

Use the map below to find your neighborhood. Need more detail? Click anywhere on the map below for a more detailed map.

A map of Cambridge's 13 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is a different bright color. 

Neighborhood Action Plans

Neighborhood Action Plans focus on unique planning issues at the local scale. They are collaborative planning processes that are updated often so that community priorities can inform other planning efforts. Neighborhoods currently undergoing an action planning process are listed below. Visit their action planning pages for more information and ways to be involved!

Mid-CambridgeNeighborhood NineWellington-Harrington

How is the schedule for Action Plans set?

The Action Planning schedule was developed by looking at data-driven indicators of relative planning need across neighborhoods. This helped to identify areas that might most benefit from early action planning. Planning for every neighborhood is an important part of the NPI and every neighborhood will have its own action plan in the next five years!

A graphic showing a wind chart for equity analysis.Click here to learn more about the NPI process and the equity approach to the action planning schedule!

Neighborhood Planning Resources

Browse through the resources below to learn more about neighborhood planning in Cambridge. Even if your neighborhood isn’t currently undergoing an action planning process, familiarizing yourself with these resources can help prepare you to be involved when it’s your neighborhood's turn!

Learn More About NPI and Cambridge's 13 Neighborhoods

Cover of Neighborhood Planning Initiative overview document

NPI Overview Materials & Equity Framework Approach

Two-page spread of a Neighborhood Snapshot document.

Neighborhood Snapshots

Image of two-page spread from one of the Neighborhood Snapshots.

Neighborhood Statistical Profiles

For More Information

For more information contact Lev McCarthy at lmccarthy@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-9164.

2023 Action Plans