Cambridge Innovation Center Founder and Executive Chair Tim Rowe, right, talks about the future of housing during a fireside chat with BJH Advisors Principal Kei Hayashi, left, and UMass Lowell Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development Anne Maglia, center. (Photo: Brooke Coupal for UMass Lowell)
LOWELL – Leaders from state and local government, housing development and manufacturing, higher education and community organizations gathered on Wednesday to discuss solutions to Massachusetts’ housing crisis at the BuildSmart Housing Innovation TechHub Summit.
Led by UMass Lowell, BuildSmart aims to address the lack of affordable housing through innovation in design and sustainability, zoning and policy, and manufacturing and construction. BuildSmart is a designated TechHub through the Massachusetts TechHubs Program, an initiative intended to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems across the state.
The BuildSmart Summit, held within the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), included robust conversations on solutions for energy-efficient and climate-ready housing; aligning policy, zoning and finance to accelerate housing; advanced materials and modular housing innovations; and building the housing workforce.
“Massachusetts’ housing challenges demand bold thinking and coordinated action,” said Juana Matias, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and a keynote speaker at the summit. “BuildSmart brings together the partnerships and ideas needed to expand housing production and increase access to affordable, sustainable homes across the state. By advancing new approaches to design, construction and policy, this effort will help us make meaningful progress toward meeting the state’s housing goals.”
According to the Healey-Driscoll administration’s “A Home for Everyone: A Comprehensive Housing Plan for Massachusetts,” Massachusetts needs to increase its year-round housing supply by at least 222,000 homes over the next decade to meet demand and lower costs. The MassInc Policy Center has found that the housing need is pronounced in Gateway Cities such as Lowell, with all 26 Gateway Cities needing a total of 83,000 new units over the next decade.
“Families in our community are facing significant pressure from rising housing costs,” said state Sen. Vanna Howard (D-Lowell). “BuildSmart will help develop solutions that make a real difference locally, supporting housing that is more accessible for the people who live and work here.”
BuildSmart members, including officials from UMass Lowell, the City of Lowell, Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, the Cambridge Innovation Center, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and Bequall, are developing a strategic plan that delivers scalable housing solutions through the integration of cutting-edge technology, transformative policy frameworks and community-driven approaches.
“The collaborative, forward-looking approach behind BuildSmart is the same one guiding LINC, a growing innovation ecosystem driving research and economic growth,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “BuildSmart applies that model to the housing sector, bringing partners together to develop and scale solutions that can have a real impact in communities.”
The importance of innovation in addressing the housing crisis was a key theme throughout the summit.
“The entire history of housing, we’ve always done it the same way, so we’re at the cusp of an incredible change in this industry,” said Cambridge Innovation Center Founder and Executive Chair Tim Rowe, who sat down for a fireside chat on the future of housing with BJH Advisors Principal Kei Hayashi. “It’s so exciting that we’re talking about creating the world’s leading innovation hub for housing right here in Lowell.”
Shown, left to right, are UMass Lowell Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Acceleration Kim Holloway, state Sen. Vanna Howard, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Juana Matias, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Davis, and Cambridge Innovation Center Founder and Executive Chair Tim Rowe. (Photo: Ed Brennen for UMass Lowell)
3 responses to “UMass Lowell-led TechHub Convenes Leaders to Address Housing Crisis”
Interesting to see UMass Lowell taking the lead on such a big issue. What solutions are they proposing for the housing crisis?
Maybe they’ll convene another group to tackle the bigger issue. Getting the City Council to read the recently published zoning audit that showed almost 50% of existing houses in Lowell don’t conform to current requirements. If a neighborhood has 50’ frontages; the requirements are 55’. If the existing lots are 30’ the requirement is 35’. The same applies for lot size. We don’t need a brain trust to develop a solution; we’ve know the solution for decades. Form Based Code.
Not only will our current zoning not spur development; it’s implicitly written to restrict any reasonable neighborhood development. It’s plainly “Anti-Housing”. We still have “single family” zones in almost every neighborhood! Lowell is in the zoning Stone Age.
The idea that the current city council would implement ideas that come from this summit is like saying the ancient Egyptians are going to colonize Mars. We need representation that actually wants more housing, not a panel of experts to tell us we need it.
Actually, the city is currently actively engaging in a comprehensive zoning reform to audit and rewrite its zoning ordinance with the intent to create a more user-friendly document that also supports housing production, as well as creating more jobs. Its updating the zoning to enable a more mixed-use and multi-family housing, with the intent of building up rather than just out.
Also, I believe to support these changes, the city is also focusing on making it easier for developers to navigate departments by providing a single point of contact for their questions. The city is also MBTA compliant and has already implemented a transit-oriented multifamily overlay zone for denser housing near transit. This all coincides with Lowell being named the first “Frontrunner City” in urban transformation and its commitment to “transformative urban development projects”. I understand this includes public hearings, so YOU should attend and give YOUR valuable input!