Hazard Mitigation Plans provide communities with an opportunity to assess their vulnerability to multiple types of natural hazards, evaluate the effectiveness of existing mitigation measures and develop a set of prioritized recommendations for additional mitigation measures in the future.  These plans are encouraged by FEMA, and are required for communities to maintain their eligibility for several FEMA grant programs.  

MetroFuture recommends focusing more growth in urban communities where residents will have better access to shops, services, and employment.  The high densities of urban communities mean that more destinations are located in close proximity, so people have less distance to travel.  This facilitates walking, biking, or taking transit more often, but only if those choices are safe and convenient.  

Since many crimes are conducted by recidivists, increased attention to re-entry programs is critical to reduction of crime rates regionwide, and especially in urban communities.  A more systemic approach to offender reentry would involve traditional agencies as well as more involved collaboration with non-traditional partners such as community leaders and service providers.  

Increased availability and analytical use of detailed crime data is important for two reasons: it can increase the effectiveness of crime prevention efforts; and it can correct misperceptions about the safety of urban neighborhoods.  State of the art crime analysis can help police departments to identify and manage crime problems before they get out of hand.  Access to data can also help community groups to have a better understanding of the crime problems in their neighborhood, so they can be more effective partners with law enforcement.  

Application of community policing strategies can both deter crime and improve relationships and interaction between police and the public.  Community policing employs partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address crime and the underlying causes of crime.  It is also contingent on organizational transformation of police departments to reflect modern management practices, including performance assessment and accountability.  

In order to be safe and welcoming places for residents and families, Metro Boston’s urban communities must deal with the problem of youth violence, which disrupts the fabric of urban neighborhoods and contributes to negative perceptions about the safety of urban areas.  Preventing youth violence will help at-risk youth to lead more productive and fulfilling lives and will allow more families to live in urban areas with less fear of random violence.  

MetroFuture establishes bold, achievable, and measurable goals for growth, preservation, and equity in Metro Boston.  A diversity of policy recommendations contained in the implementation plan are designed to move the region toward a brighter future.  A regional indicators framework is necessary to make periodic, quantitative assessments of conditions in the region.  Such assessments will support policy development as well as accountability.  Regional indicators should include information at a variety of levels, providing an understanding of conditions in the region gene