Kate Dineen, President & CEO, A Better City
Kate Dineen, the president and CEO of A Better City, sat down with Invest to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the Greater Boston region, including issues related to transportation and infrastructure, land use and development, and climate change. She emphasized the importance the organization places on partnering with all stakeholders to get projects across the line
What have been the most significant recent achievements for A Better City?
One really exciting achievement is that we launched an advocacy campaign around the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project, which is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the western gateway to Boston and improve transportation connectivity across the region. The project will straighten the Mass Pike, bring the roadway down to at-grade level, improve active transportation options along the Charles River, and establish a new multimodal and commuter rail hub to be known as West Station. As part of our campaign and with support from the Barr Foundation, we produced an educational video to explain the project and its various benefits to the region. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston, with tremendous support from the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, were able to successfully secure a massive $335.4 million grant to move the project forward. For our team, which has been working on advancing this project for literally a decade, this grant was a huge win for the project, for the city, and for the region.
A lot of work lies ahead in terms of refining different project elements, finalizing the project finance plan, and then ultimately getting through environmental permitting and getting shovels in the ground. But this is a megaproject that will dramatically transform our urban fabric, enhance our mobility, and improve our economic competitiveness as a global hub.
Do you have a timeline in place?
The hope is that the project will be through the environmental permitting process in about a year. The latest estimate regarding the commencement of construction is 2027 or 2028. It’s been a long time coming, and there has been a formal project task force in place for a decade. This federal funding is the culmination of years and years of research analysis and coalition building. It’s an compelling and tangible example of all three levels of government working strategically and collaboratively together. I really think it reflects the strength of our government leadership and the strength of our business community, which has rallied in support of this project.
What makes Boston a great city to live in, to relocate to and to work in?
Boston has so many competitive advantages, from our accessibility via Logan Airport and Amtrack to our renowned cultural institutions. Our talent here in Boston is second to none, especially when it comes to our education, professional services, healthcare, and life sciences sectors. We are certainly recognized as a global leader in these fields and there is also an real opportunity to become a global leader in climate tech by fostering the technologies needed to achieve our very aggressive emissions reduction targets and ensure that we are adapting to the effects of climate change, like sea level rise and extreme temperature.
What are some of the most impactful climate policies and projects that you have?
As an organization, we have placed a more strategic and deliberate emphasis on advancing policies and projects that will improve equity in Greater Boston. For example, we’ve partnered with the City of Boston and several member businesses and institutions to launch and expand the PowerCorps Boston Building Operations Training Program. This program aims to train unemployed or underemployed young people for well-paying careers operating and maintaining the smart buildings of today and tomorrow. We have wrapped up the first two cohorts and recently launched the third, which is major milestone.
What partners – organizations or industry players – do you have to help you with innovation?
First and foremost, we rely on our membership base. A Better City has about 130 member companies and institutions, representing the major drivers of our regional economy. These business and civic leaders bring invaluable perspectives to our work across transportation, climate, and land use. We work, of course, very closely with the Wu Administration, the Healy-Driscoll Administration, and with peer business and advocacy organizations.
Looking ahead, what are the priorities for A Better City?
Our overarching goal is to ensure that we, as a region, are well-positioned for equitable growth. We know that growth cannot be assumed, and we need to ensure that we have the infrastructure and policies in place to support and catalyze growth and innovation. Looking ahead, our region cannot survive, let alone thrive, without a safe and reliable public transportation system. Current MBTA leadership is making smart investments in some of the foundational work needed to get the system back on track—they are starting to restore trust and business and civic leaders are behind them. Beyond public transportation, we need smart climate policies to reduce emissions and build resilience and we need and nimble development policies to address the affordability crisis and activate our business districts. It’s a critical time for the city and for the region and it’s imperative that we lean into our strengths.
