Street vendors are struggling with rising temperatures

When a person is exposed to extreme heat, their body increases blood flow to the skin as it desperately tries to cool down. This attempt to cool creates more strain on internal organs and, if exposure is prolonged, serious organ failure is a possible outcome.

“The effects are particularly severe on the brain, although organs such as the heart and kidneys are where we have recorded chronic failures,” says Jonathan Lee, a researcher in environmental health who works on heat at Boston University in the United States.

Santa Fe aims to bring building into digital age with land use office modernization

Thick rolls of paper development plans still circulate in the Santa Fe Planning and Land Use Department, even after many other cities have shifted to the convenience and speed of digital software.

Santa Fe, home to Southwest mountain charm but also stringent aesthetic standards in some corridors and neighbors averse to change, isn’t always an easy place to build housing.

Critics say Boston’s inclusionary zoning hurts construction — does it?

One important piece of addressing the former is inclusionary zoning, which requires new, multifamily housing projects to set aside some of their new homes as affordable housing restricted to residents with low incomes.

But this year, inclusionary zoning has drawn unusual attention, even becoming a hot topic during the Boston mayoral campaign. That’s because one year ago, in October 2024, Boston increased the required percentage of units, decreased the maximum income level, and reduced the minimum number of units in a project that would trigger the rules.

A tiny device is identifying invisible health hazards in Boston schools

The district has deployed a first-of-its-kind network of indoor air pollution sensors that guide efforts to improve air quality — a move that research suggests could boost grades and cut down on sick days. The pandemic put a spotlight on indoor air quality and its role in preventing the spread of viruses. Schools across the country upgraded their HVAC systems, propped open windows, and installed air filters to reduce transmission.

A new report has good news and bad news for Massachusetts’ housing goals

Earlier this year, Gov. Maura Healey’s administration set a goal for Massachusetts: 222,000 new homes by 2035. That’s what Healey’s office estimates it will take to get out of the current housing shortage that is making it so expensive to live here. In a preview released yesterday of its annual Greater Boston Housing Report Card, think tank Boston Indicators dug into recent home address and permitting data and found a mix of good news and bad news when it comes to our chances of hitting that goal.

District 7 needs a new city councilor. Who can take on its challenges?

With just days to go until the 2025 General Municipal Election, Boston’s District 7 is once again ready to pick a new City Councilor. Eleven candidates competed in September’s preliminary election to replace former Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson. Now, finalists Said Ahmed and Rev. Miniard Culpepper are looking to represent the historically Black and politically active district.