Renters Matter

The COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading in the wild in Massachusetts -- and Cambridge has a duty to step up and take action to prevent it from spreading. What should local businesses -- and individuals -- be doing? The short answer is: Staying away from large groups of people, especially vulnerable populations. What does that mean for local politics? It needs to mean attending a lot fewer city council meetings in person.

The Super Tuesday primaries are over, and Biden has shown up in a big way. What does this mean for Bernie, Warren, and the possibility of serious investment in restoring funding to public housing? Also: Suffolk Downs, Northland in Newton, Harvard Square rezoning, Grand Junction Bike Path, and more!

In Central Square, a fight is brewing over arts vs. housing -- all stemming from one building which is falling apart, but has been home to a dance studio for nearly 30 years.

More density -- in housing, commercial, arts spaces, and more -- means more of the good stuff that I want, in the place where I currently live. If you don't want that... why are you in a city?!

Discussing commercial development and linkage fees in Cambridge.

Looking at the cost of housing in Cambridge, it's clear that buying a home has been put forever out of reach of the vast majority of people. What does that mean, and how can we work to make sure it doesn't get even further down that path?

Overall, 2019 was a poor year for renters in Cambridge. Rent prices continued to rise; the City Council did little to take steps to either combat those rises or support renters facing them, and the one change that we could make -- targeting creating more housing for low-income tenants in the city -- was blocked by political forces that consider the risk of slightly denser homes antithetical to their position. This episode wraps up what 2019 looked like, and hopes for better in 2020.

Over the past two years, the city has been evaluating tenant displacement in the city. The Tenant Displacement Task Force, created in 2018, has issued their final report. While the report is a step in the right direction, in many ways the city is constrained in what it can do -- and the recommendations fall short of the city seriously treating renters as first class citizens in their overall investment in protecting them from displacement. For the full tenant task force report, check out https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/officeofthemayor/2019/tenantdisplacementtaskforcefinalreport12092019.pdf?la=en ; and learn more about the task force at https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/mayorsoffice/blueribbontaskforceontenantdisplacement .

Neighborhood groups rarely represent the neighborhood. As a result, official authority conferred upon them is largely illegitimate, and they don't deserve it. I tell the story of being told that I'm simply not welcome in my local community, and what I think this means.

An update on the Cambridgeside Galleria Zoning Petition, and a look at what it feels like to be scared for your job when you're renting.

Episode 9 - Nov 20, 2019 by Christopher Schmidt

Cambridge is currently following in the footsteps of San Francisco, and the rest of Silicon Valley in the housing crisis. We need to take action now to prevent our city from losing any more of its soul.

With the 2019 Municipal Elections out of the way, we can now move on to the next step: figuring out what to do next.

The Rent Control rally and what it means for renters in Cambridge.

Episode 5 - Oct 23rd, 2019 by Christopher Schmidt

Episode 4 - Oct 16, 2019 by Christopher Schmidt

Burhan Azeem is an MIT graduate renting in Cambridge who is currently running for City Council. We talk about his experience trying to connect MIT students to the voting process here, as well as what he's learned on the campaign trail about what it's like to rent in one of the most expensive cities in the country. Connect with Burhan via his campaign website (https://www.voteburhan.com/) or on Twitter (https://twitter.com/realBurhanAzeem). This is Burhan's first year as a candidate, and he'd like to remind you that the Voter registration deadline is October 16th!

In this second episode of Renters Matter, we focus *why* the rent is so high. Zoning is the ability to control who lives here and who doesn't -- and mostly we've chosen "Doesn't", for nearly 100 years.

In this first episode of Renters Matter, we focus on how high the rent is. Looking at Zillow, and high end property listings in Cambridge, why is the rent so high, and what does that mean for people making below the median income? What can we learn by looking at the high-end property listings in the city?