Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD) are announcing the release of Mitigating Commercial Displacement in Somerville, MA, a study commissioned by Somerville’s Economic Development team, and authored by graduate students from the Rappaport Greater Boston Advanced Applied Field Lab and the Bloomberg-Harvard Cities Field Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The findings of Mitigating Commercial Displacement in Somerville, MA will help inform the City’s long-term planning to continue to help independent local businesses remain in Somerville.
“Our small businesses are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and a driving force of our local economy. But they are facing multiple pressures including rising rents, so we are focused on finding the best solutions to help them stay and thrive here. This study offers useful insights to drive that work,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “I want to thank the student researchers for their thoughtful and collaborative work that will anchor our initiatives to keep small businesses here in Somerville.”