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Almost all of MetroFuture’s recommendations are based in the understanding that land use plans and development controls at all levels and across all geographies must be aligned with each other.  Plans and policies cannot run at cross-purposes, and actual development decisions must adhere to the plans that have been established.  Deliberate efforts are necessary to establish this consistency and monitor it over time.   

Currently, there are no mechanisms to coordinate planning objectives in Massachusetts.  The Commonwealth Sustainable Development Principles represent a powerful and progressive vision for the state, but lack specific objectives that could be used to shape policy, programs, and priorities.  Regional planning agencies are required to prepare growth projections, but there is no requirement that regional growth plans reflect Sustainable Development Principles.  When transportation planning, water permitting, and other programs use regional growth plans that reflect “current trends” instead of sustainable development, these programs end up reinforcing unsustainable growth patterns.  Similarly, municipal plans, where they exist, are usually developed without any formal mechanism to address the regional context, and there is little expectation that zoning is consistent with land use plans, much less a formal requirement.  The result is a series of plans and policies—from the state to the local level—with little relation to each other and little capacity to shape growth in the region.  

The Commonwealth needs new mechanisms to ensure that state, regional, and local plans are consistent with each other.  While the Sustainable Development Principles should provide the guidance for such consistency, that does not necessarily imply a strictly “top-down” approach; a cooperative approach among all levels of government involved will ensure that plans are both consistent with regional needs and sensitive to local conditions.  The recommendations also recognize that mandatory local planning and consistency, as required in many other states, may not be feasible in Massachusetts where local autonomy is so fiercely protected.  Instead, local participation should be strongly encouraged through the use of strong incentives, in the form of local aid and property tax policies.  While the recommendations immediately below focus on coordination across levels of government, the coordination of state policies is also critical, and is addressed in the next section of this strategy. 

12)    Formalize the Commonwealth Sustainable Development Principles and Objectives

13)    Regularly update MetroFuture land use plan and objectives, consistent with state principles/objectives

14)    Assess consistency of municipal plans and actions with MetroFuture objectives

15)    Establish local aid formulas and tax sharing programs that promote plan consistency