Transit-Supportive Density in Greater Boston

By Lucas Munson and Luc Schuster, Boston Indicators, and
Jarred Johnson and Katie Calandriello, TransitMatters
January 30, 2025

Produced by Boston Indicators and TransitMatters, this new report explores Greater Boston's housing and transit development through the lens of “Transit-Supportive Density,” which highlights the critical role that housing density near transit plays in fostering virtuous cycles of investment and growth. A growing body of evidence shows that increasing population density around transit hubs is essential for creating the human capital and economic dynamism that support thriving neighborhoods with reliable, well-funded transit service. The report explores  housing density near transit in Greater Boston, and offers ideas for how the region could can create thriving, diverse communities that benefit from robust transit opportunities.

• Part 1: Research Benchmarks for Transit-Supportive Density
  What levels of housing and employment density do researchers and transit agencies think are necessary to support high-functioning transit?
• Part 2: Regional Comparisons
  What regions elsewhere in North America have built up good residential density near transit, and what can we learn from them in Greater Boston?
• Part 3: The State of Transit-Supportive Density in Greater Boston
  What levels of housing density near transit do we currently have in Greater Boston?
• Part 4: The State of Density-Supportive Transit in Greater Boston
  How does our region’s current transit system enable and limit density?
• Part 5: Station Area Case Studies
  What types of station areas are best situated to embrace and benefit from TSD efforts?
• Conclusion: Pathways to Transit-Supportive Density