Resources

The Progressive Coalition of Amherst will share reports and articles that may be of interest to Amherst residents on this page. If you have an item you’d like to suggest, send it to ProgressiveCoalitionAmherst@gmail.com.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF AMHERST RACIAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE TASK FORCE REPORT: INDICATORS OF RACIAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE FOR AMHERST  (October 5, 2020)     “The League’s  Racial Justice Task Force has undertaken a survey of publicly available data on racial equity and  justice in Amherst, in order to determine what public information exists that could inform Town  policy and planning with regard to racial equity and justice.  We looked across key areas of systemic and institutional racial equity including employment and  income, housing, health, education, policing and justice, and town governance. The review  searched for relevant databases provided by local, regional, state, and national organizations. We  identified 14 useful sources, listed in this report.” Read more: http://https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DNJwkngM6E_xjkml0QTU2bxHam6438qJaBacsmhWD44/edit?usp=sharing

STRONG TOWNS: What’s up with all those empty commercial storefronts in new mixed-use developments? (June 6, 2018) “… Here’s the more common picture: a cookie-cutter five story apartment building over a vacant commercial space. This image is probably also familiar to you if you live in one of those cities experiencing an urban growth spurt. One might expect this set-up to last a few months, perhaps, while the apartment units are in the process of being filled and the building manager seeks a commercial tenant. But in fact, in my city, it’s not unusual to see a commercial space sitting empty for months and sometimes years.” Read more: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/6/5/whats-up-with-all-those-empty-commercial-storefronts-in-new-mixed-use-developments?

COMMUNITY SAFETY WORKING GROUP PART A FINAL REPORT: “The Community Safety Working Group was assigned the following purpose:
“to (a) make recommendations on alternative ways of providing public safety
services to the community and (b) make recommendations on reforms to the
current organizational and oversight structures of the Amherst Police
Department. “ (May, 2021) Read more: https://www.amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/56163/CSWG-Final-Report-Part-A

CURBED: Why do all new apartment buildings look the same? “The reason our cities are filled with so much of the same kind of building is because it’s the cheapest way to build an apartment. In this case, that’s light-frame wood construction, which often uses flat windows that are easy to install; a process called rainscreen cladding to create the skin of the building; as well as Hardie panels, a facade covering made from fiber cement.” (Dec. 4, 2018.) Read more: https://archive.curbed.com/2018/12/4/18125536/real-estate-modern-apartment-architecture

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