About the Needs Assessment
The Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment
This summer, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is conducting a needs assessment for the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods. This needs assessment will examine services within the Allston-Brighton community under three main categories:
- Basic needs
- Access to opportunity
- Community
Basic needs cover things like safety, food security, and housing. Access to opportunity relates to education, employment, and transportation. Community needs are about ensuring access to open space, arts and culture, and civic engagement, among other things.
Over the coming months, the people who live, work and form part of the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods will have the opportunity to have their voices heard as part of the needs assessment. The team conducting the needs assessment on behalf of the BPDA will provide multiple opportunities to get involved and give important feedback about the neighborhood and how it can best serve you, your family, and the wider community.
Community engagement will take place in Allston and Brighton during July and August 2023, where you will have the opportunity to give feedback in-person at one of our events or online by signing up for project updates including community events, surveys, and other engagements.
How Can I Get Involved?
There are many ways to get involved in the Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment this summer. It is important that we hear directly from the community about what improvements are needed to make Allston and Brighton a great place to live and work. Your feedback will help the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and other government agencies, understand what the Allston and Brighton communities require to develop in a fair and responsible way, now and for future generations.
Over the course of the summer, Community Ambassadors will be available at several community events to talk to you about the needs assessment and how you can share your feedback. Community Ambassadors are people who work in the community to share information about a particular subject. Here are some ways you can get involved in the needs assessment:
- Take the Survey: The AURA team created a 10–20 minute survey to hear from people who live, work, play, and study in Allston and Brighton. All respondents will receive a $20 gift card by email after completing the survey! Community Ambassadors are available to talk through the survey in-person, in multiple languages at Needs Assessment events this month. Take the Survey now!
- You can check our events calendar and join us at an upcoming free event or public meeting where our community ambassadors will be happy to speak with you.
- You can sign up for engagement notifications to give your feedback directly to the needs assessment team. You can also use the form at the bottom of this page to send comments directly to the BPDA project team.
- You can contact John Woods, Executive Director at [email protected] or Rachel Regis, Deputy Director at [email protected] or by calling 617-787-3874 at the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation to find out more information.
The Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment is important to you as a Boston resident. Language Access services are available to you free of charge, including interpretation and translation services. You can contact [email protected] or 857-242-1123 to request language services related to the Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment.
Language Access
The Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment is important to you as a Boston resident. Language Access services are available to you free of charge, including interpretation and translation services. You can contact [email protected] or 857-242-1123 to request language services related to the Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment.
La Evaluación de las necesidades de Allston-Brighton es importante para usted como residente de Boston. Los servicios de idiomas están disponibles de forma gratuita e incluyen interpretación y traducción. Comuníquese a [email protected] o 857-242-1123 para solicitar los servicios de idiomas relacionados con la Evaluación de las necesidades de Allston-Brighton.
作為波士頓居民，Allston-Brighton需求評估對您很重要。我們可以向您免費提供語言服務，包括 口譯和筆譯服務。您可以聯繫[email protected]或致電857-242-1123，請求與 Allston-Brighton需求評估有關的語言服務。
如果您是波士顿居民，那么Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment (需求评估) 对您来说是很重要的。 我们免费为您提供语言翻译（口译和笔译）服务。如果您需要语言服务，请通过发送电子邮件至 [email protected] 或致电 857-242-1123 来要求Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment提供相关语言翻译服务。
Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment Materials
Community Walk
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Beginning at Packard's Corner
(Brighton Avenue / Malverne Street Intersection)
Allston, MA 02134
Please note: due to weather this walk, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 23, has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 30, 2023.
English Flyer | Spanish Flyer | Simplified Chinese Flyer | Traditional Chinese Flyer
Join the AURA team for a community walk through the neighborhood as part of the ongoing Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment. We want to hear from community-based organizations and locals about what is important to them in the neighborhood, what needs improvement, and how Allston and Brighton can better serve the people who live, work and play here.
The walk will commence at the Brighton Avenue / Malverne Street intersection in front of the Super88 Market in Packard's Corner at 3:00 PM. The walk will be an organic route, but a general route will be posted to the webpage soon.
Community Event
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Fields West Bar
87 Glenville Avenue
Allston, MA 02134
Please note: this event, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 23, has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 30, 2023.
English Flyer | Spanish Flyer | Simplified Chinese Flyer | Traditional Chinese Flyer
Join us at the at the Fields West Bar to learn more about the ongoing Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment. Have your voice heard as part of the community-wide survey, and enjoy the free community event.
Community Event
NEW DATE: Monday, September 18, 2023 | 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center
123 Antwerp Street
Allston, MA 02134
Join us at the Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center to learn more about the ongoing Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment. Have your voice heard as part of the community-wide survey, and enjoy the free community event.
Community Event
Sunday, September 3, 2023 | 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
The Presentation School Foundation Community Center
640 Washington Street
Brighton, MA 02135
English-Spanish Flyer | Simplified and Traditional Chinese Flyer
Join us at the Presentation School Foundation Community Center to learn more about the ongoing Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment. Have your voice heard as part of the community-wide survey, and enjoy the free community event. There will be food, a raffle, and family fun activities!
Community Kick-off Event
August 9, 2023
18R Shepard Street, Brighton
The Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation hosted the in-person Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment Community Kick-off event. In this event, community members learned more about the A-B Needs Assessment effort and engaged with community ambassadors and the AURA team. Below you can find a copy of the presentation and a recording of the staff presentation:
Presentation | Presentación | 演示 | 演示 | Презентация | Apresentação | Recording
Flyer | Volante | 传单
Meet the Team
The Allston Brighton Needs Assessment Report RFP emerged as part of the Harvard University Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) improvement package. The Harvard Allston Task Force explicitly requested an Allston-Brighton Community Needs Assessment to identify community needs and to ask the following questions:
- Where are the services lacking?
- What infrastructure needs repair and improvement?
- Why are people hurting?
What is the Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment looking to accomplish?
- Prepare for the coming Allston-Brighton Neighborhood Plan.
- Empower the community to make modifications or community benefits requests from development projects.
- Provide other city agencies and local non-profits with analysis to inform their future decision-making.
The team conducting the needs assessment is the AURA team. AURA is an acronym for the four organizations working on completing the needs assessment:
- A - Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation
- U - Utile Design
- R - Rivera Consulting Inc.
- A - Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG)
Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation
With over four decades working exclusively within the unique targeted neighborhoods, the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC) has served thousands of residents and built networks of trust and collaboration with a multitude of service providers and community groups who share our mission to build a stronger, more stable community. ABCDC has a proven track record of supporting the interests and ensuring the engagement of Allston Brighton’s diverse communities, institutions, individuals, and families of all incomes. To leverage the reputation and intimate local knowledge this experience has created, ABCDC will act as a convenor, collaborating with local organizations to drive effective outreach and facilitate community power sharing.
Utile Design
Utile is a planning and architecture firm that is built like a think tank. With well-researched, specific design methodologies, Utile offers original and effective solutions that integrate existing conditions into a meaningful urban realm. With familiarity with the Article 80 process and the changing dynamics, Utile has provided planning and design knowledge throughout the Enterprise Research Campus process and will ‘hit the ground running’ with neighborhood-specific and analytic knowledge to make informed recommendations. Through BCYF siting studies in Allston/Brighton; ongoing work on the Allston Campus projects; Imagine Boston; PLAN: Newmarket; and other efforts, Utile is very familiar with the zoning, land use, housing, and other topical recommendations the BPDA hopes to clarify. Acting as technical experts, Utile will provide qualitative and quantitative planning-specific expertise.
Rivera Consulting Inc.
Rivera is a Boston-based management and strategy consulting firm committed to planting the seeds for equity and just sustainability. Established in 2015, Rivera is a diverse set of multi-disciplinary practitioners who work at the intersection of planning, engagement, and equity. Rivera is a certified minority-, woman-, and LGBTQ-owned business led by organizational development, urban planning, equity research, and social justice professionals. The cornerstone of our work—deep democracy—is both a value and a methodology that centers on those often left out of the public commons. Rivera will pose as equity advisors and strategists for all tasks to shape the development and implementation of our mixed-method approach.
Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG)
ASG is a full-service agency based in Boston, founded in 2013 with a vision of “marketing with purpose.” ASG campaigns are incredibly data-informed, with research that directly informs our multilingual community engagement and integrated marketing strategies. Our approach has proven successful for a wide range of more than 200 clients throughout Massachusetts, nationally, and internationally. As a certified minority-, woman-, and LGBTQ-owned business enterprise, ASG has produced award-winning campaigns that build trust, influence behavior, and create collaborative action. Over 60% of our staff is multilingual, and ASG collaborates with stakeholders to produce regional and hyperlocal campaigns in over 11 languages.
Events in Allston-Brighton
Wed
27
Sep
Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment Drop-In Hours
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NEIGHBORHOOD: Allston, Brighton
LOCATION: Virtual Meeting
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Sat
30
Sep
Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment Community Walk
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NEIGHBORHOOD: Allston, Brighton
LOCATION: Beginning at Packard's Corner
Allston, MA 02134
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Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment Community Event
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NEIGHBORHOOD: Allston, Brighton
LOCATION: Fields West Bar
87 Glenville Avenue
Allston, MA 02134
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