Right to the City Boston has a vision of our city that includes strong working class neighborhoods and communities of color. We envision a Boston where there is equal access to quality education, affordable housing, economic opportunities, accessible transportation, a healthy environment and public resources for all. We envision a Boston where we preserve the best aspects of the character of our neighborhoods. We envision a Boston where we celebrate the diverse backgrounds, languages, and cultures of our residents. where community needs come before profit. Muslims have the right to remain.
To help families and individuals in Boston’s working class neighborhoods, we will strengthen the rights of tenants and homeowner occupants, make community planning decisions participatory and transparent, preserve and develop affordable housing, and increase the share of permanently affordable housing that is removed from the private real estate market.
Good jobs make strong communities. To exercise our right to wealth and good jobs in the City, we must address long-term unemployment and underemployment, substandard work, and structural inequities of the economic system by ensuring access to job opportunities, improved job standards, support for community small businesses and alternative economic enterprises.
Our right to the city includes the right of every inhabitant to participate in decisions that shape our city—its budget, land, development, jobs, schools, services, and approach to public safety. It includes the right to information, transparency, popular participation, and equal representation and reform of the city charter to create mechanisms for accountability and balance legislative and executive powers.
Our right to the city includes the right of every inhabitant to have equal access to public resources and services, quality education, public libraries, healthcare and other safety net programs in order to thrive regardless of background.
Our right to the city includes the right of every resident to live, work, play and learn in an environment that supports our health, safety, quality of life. Communities that bear a bigger environmental burden should have meaningful opportunities to speak for ourselves and should be primary decision makers in issues affecting our lives, health, and neighborhoods.