16-28 Porter Street
16-28 Porter Street is a 12,920 square foot vacant lot located in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood, a location surrounded by many amenities such as Twin city Plaza, Gold Star Mothers Park, and the Lechmere MBTA station. It was acquired by the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) in April 2026 with financial support from the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust (CAHT). The site is expected to be developed under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Overlay.
Recovery Month Book Club
Join us for a special book group in honor of Recovery Month. Recovery Month, observed each September, affirms that recovery from substance use and mental health challenges is possible, and shows the city's support for every Cambridge community member in all stages of their recovery journeys. We will be reading Men We Reaped by Jasmyn Ward.
Registration is helpful but not required.
This event was created in partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department.
Council on Aging Celebrates National Senior Center Month
Happy National Senior Center Month! This September, the Cambridge Council on Aging joins the National Council on Aging and hundreds of Senior Centers across the country in celebrating how Senior Centers support and empower older adults. This year’s theme is “Powering Possibilities: Flip the Script,” inviting us to challenge outdated perceptions of aging and acknowledge the dynamic role that Senior Centers play in fostering creativity, connection, purpose, and resilience in later life.
RESCHEDULED Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge: The 1664 Petition Campaign and Grassroots Constitutionalism
This event was rescheduled from May 22 and will now take place on May 28.
The new king Charles II sent royal commissioners to New England in 1664 in order to pressure colonists into compliance with his metropolitan agenda. When these royal commissioners tried to claim full authority over local courts and militias, Cambridge inhabitants were among the first to act in defiance. Their grassroots petition campaign drew on the experience of the English civil wars and pointed the way forward to the American Revolution.
Adrian Chastain Weimer is a Professor of History at Providence College and is currently a Long-term Fellow at the John Carter Brown Library. She is the author of A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023) and Martyrs' Mirror: Persecution and Holiness in Early New England (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
To understand our impact on climate change and measure progress over time, Cambridge has committed to doing a greenhouse gas inventory of its emissions at least every five years. This information helps the City understand where emissions are coming from, identify the biggest opportunities to reduce them, and guide the policies and programs that support our goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
College Success Initiative Celebrates 10 Years
The College Success Initiative (CSI) celebrated 10 years in 2024, having supported over 360 Cambridge residents in pursuing higher education. Designed to assist historically underrepresented students, including immigrants, first-generation college-goers, and low-income individuals, CSI provides personalized support through dedicated College Success Coaches. The program helps students from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the Community Learning Center, and Just-A-Start’s YouthBuild program complete associate or bachelor’s degrees within six years.
Information on the Massachusetts Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line at 2-1-1
The Massachusetts Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line at 2-1-1 is now available in English and Spanish and will have translators available to support residents in approximately 100 additional languages. Please call 2-1-1 and follow prompts to reach The Massachusetts Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line. Individuals ages 75 and older will be able to speak to a representative live on the phone to assist them with an appointment through the state’s online system.
Give your unwanted bikes a new life to benefit a community member!
The City of Cambridge has partnered with Cambridge Bike Give Back (CBGB) to help eligible Cambridge residents get refurbished bicycles.
You can help in this effort by donating your unwanted bikes for refurbishing and CBGB will pass them on to a person or persons in need. Cambridge Bike Give Back will be collecting bike donations on Sunday, June 15, from 11am to 2pm, at Green Rose Heritage Park.
Thanks in advance for your help and support!
Emerging Artists Workshop series
Cambridge Arts and Community Development Department are offering free workshops to support emerging artists through their professional development. The topics will include financial literacy, artistic identity, grant writing, marketing, advocacy, and wellness. Workshops will be offered online during the months of October, November, and December.
We are offering this opportunity to practitioners in every form of creative expression, however, there is limited availability. We encourage local artists and practitioners from historically disempowered and oppressed communities (women, people of color, veterans, individuals who are disabled, and members of the LGBTQ+ community) to register.
STEAM Academy: iFp Labs (Main)
In Innovators for Purpose (iFp) Labs, students dive into the exciting world of social robots—machines designed to interact, learn, and connect. From brainstorming ideas to building prototypes, students explore how AI and robotics can foster fairer, more inclusive communities. They design robots that serve as friendly companions, offering support, connection, and solutions to real-world challenges. Teens in 7th and 8th grade are invited to learn more and apply on the iFp website: Innovators for Purpose.
Skills Learned: Human-Centered Design, Mechanics, Electronics, Computer Programming, AI, and more.
Innovators for Purpose (iFp) is a Cambridge-based nonprofit that inspires high-potential, diverse young people to discover their passions, develop innovative mindsets and cultivate marketable skills to solve problems they care most about. Summer Studio teens are funded in part through the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. The Cambridge Public Library STEAM Academy is part of Cambridge STEAM Initiative's efforts to enhance and expand students’ access to quality STEAM learning experiences. Made possible by generous support from the Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund and Verizon.