MAPC

What MAPC does

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the statutorily designated regional planning agency for the 101 cities and towns of Greater Boston, created in 1963 under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B Section 24 and governed by municipal representatives and gubernatorial appointees. It delivers technical assistance across community planning, climate resilience, housing production, transportation, economic development, arts and culture, and environmental planning, organized through eight subregional coalitions and the Metro Mayors Coalition. The agency also serves as the federally designated Economic Development District (EDD) for the region and coordinates shared infrastructure such as the Bluebikes bike share system across 13 municipalities.

MAPC operates a portfolio of in-house digital planning tools built by what it describes as the first Digital Services Group within a U.S. regional planning agency. Core platforms include DataCommon (regional data hub across demographics, housing, environment, transportation, and civic vitality), MassBuilds (3,000+ development project records), TrailMap, Zoning Atlas (covering all 101 municipalities), the Massachusetts Land Parcel Database (2.1M+ parcels), Local Access Score, Perfect Fit Parking, the Climate Resilience Playbook, the Climate Vulnerability Index, and the Growth Projections series through 2050. These tools are co-developed with state agencies (MassGIS, MassDOT, RMV) and academic partners (Yale, Northeastern).

MAPC is funded through a $14 million annual budget sourced from municipal assessments, state appropriations, and federal grants (EDA, MVP), with additional pass-through grant administration via the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) and fee-for-service economic development contracts under MGL Chapter 30B exemptions. Foundation support (Barr, Kresge, MassCEC, Urban Institute / Robert Wood Johnson) funds discrete initiatives such as digital services, arts and culture, and the Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium.

Name

MAPC

Legal name

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Website

https://mapc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the statutorily created regional planning agency for Greater Boston's 101 cities and towns, delivering technical assistance, in-house digital planning tools, and grant administration across housing, climate, transportation, and economic development since 1963.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Planning Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK), Infrastructure Planning, Capital Programs & Project Delivery Offices (PMOs) (BPAIALAJ), GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

Keywords

• Regional planning services
• Urban planning agency
• Municipal technical assistance
• Community development
• Transportation planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Budget: MAPC is a public agency created under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B Section 24, governed by representatives from each city and town in the region, as well as gubernatorial appointees. The agency operates with a $14 million budget funded through municipal contributions, state funding, and federal grants.
2. Technical Assistance Program (TAP): MAPC distributes technical assistance funding to municipalities through competitive grant rounds. Awards range from $69,000 for specific projects to over $512,000 distributed across 20 projects in a single funding round.
3. Fee-for-Service Technical Assistance: The Economic Development Department provides technical assistance on a fee-for-service basis. Municipalities can contract directly with MAPC under MGL Chapter 30B exemptions.
4. Federal Grants: MAPC administers federal funding programs including Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program grants, and other federal recovery resources for municipalities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MAPC is the regional planning agency serving 101 cities and towns in Greater Boston, providing technical assistance, planning services, and data analytics to municipal governments. The agency delivers expertise across housing, transportation, climate, economic development, clean energy, environment, public health, and arts and culture, supported by a portfolio of proprietary digital planning tools including DataCommon, MassBuilds, TrailMap, and Zoning Atlas.

Product overview

MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council) is the regional planning agency for Greater Boston serving 101 cities and towns. It offers a portfolio of digital planning tools and technical assistance services rather than a single unified product. The core tools include DataCommon (central data hub), MassBuilds (real estate development database), TrailMap (trails and bike facilities), Zoning Atlas, Local Access Score, and Perfect Fit Parking. Additional tools include housing analysis platforms (Housing Submarkets, Housing Metro Boston), transit planning tools (Tstation.info, First Miles), climate tools (Climate Resilience Playbook, Climate Vulnerability Index), and community engagement platforms (Youth Jobs Platform, State of Equity Policy Agenda). These are complemented by technical assistance services in arts & culture, clean energy, transportation, climate adaptation, economic development, housing, and environment planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DataCommon One-stop shop platform to explore and download MAPC's tabular datasets covering economy, demographics, education, environment, energy, housing, land use, public health, regional indicators, public safety, transportation, and civic vitality. Includes Community Profiles for any town in Massachusetts.
• MassBuilds Comprehensive database of proposed, current, and future real estate development across Massachusetts with over 3,000 development project records used to track regional growth and forecast development patterns.
• Local Access Score Index tool to prioritize sidewalk and bike route improvements on the most useful connections between residents and important local destinations, helping communities make walking and biking safer and more convenient.
• Massachusetts Vehicle Census Catalog of vehicle information registered in Massachusetts from 2009-2014, combining vehicle registrations, inspection records, mileage ratings, and other sources to document vehicle ownership and mileage history.
• TrailMap Comprehensive database of pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout the MAPC region, including foot trails, bicycle facilities, multi-use paths, and the LandLine network vision for Metro Boston's greenway network.
• Housing Submarkets Interactive tool showing the seven housing submarkets of Greater Boston with similar housing stock and market characteristics, allowing users to explore neighborhood-level housing data.
• Zoning Atlas Collaborative inventory and interpretation of municipal zoning data in Massachusetts, covering 101 Greater Boston municipalities with comparable zoning information.
• Massachusetts Land Parcel Database Statewide atlas of more than 2.1 million land parcel boundaries and associated tax assessor data, compiled from digital parcel and assessor records created by MassGIS.
• Tstation.info Interactive tool providing demographic, economic, transportation, and development information for over 300 existing and planned MBTA transit station areas in Eastern Massachusetts.
• Perfect Fit Parking Data tool analyzing overnight residential parking demand from nearly 200 apartment and condo buildings throughout Metro Boston to help communities understand and reduce excess parking requirements.
• Youth Jobs Platform Open source platform connecting Boston's youth to summer jobs, developed in partnership with the City of Boston to improve accessibility to youth employment opportunities.
• Fix Our Pipes Interactive report on natural gas leaks, highlighting the need for better coordination between utility companies and municipalities during street construction.
• Housing Metro Boston Platform showcasing a landmark regional housing production commitment and providing hundreds of housing strategies for Greater Boston municipalities.
• State of Equity Policy Agenda Interactive policy agenda on equity topics in the Greater Boston region, developed with Government Affairs and an external advisory committee.
• Living Little Educational tool exploring types of small housing well-suited for Greater Boston's suburban communities, including example layouts, case studies, and communications materials.
• Safe Routes to School Survey Tool Survey platform for measuring school commute choices developed for MassDOT's Safe Routes to School Program to help measure and evaluate the impact of interventions.
• Growth Projections Demographic projections for Metro Boston region including population change, household growth, and housing demand projections through 2050, used for regional transportation planning and housing policy.
• Climate Resilience Playbook Online interactive tool for local planners to identify and prioritize resilience actions for their communities. Recipient of APA-MA 2025 President's Award.
• Climate Vulnerability Index Regional climate vulnerability mapping tool combining sociodemographic, public health, housing, and workforce data with climate exposure data to identify populations for climate preparedness work.
• Technical Assistance Program (TAP) Funding program providing technical assistance to municipalities for planning projects including community planning, climate resilience, economic development, and housing initiatives. Recent round awarded $512,490 to 20 projects.
• Arts & Culture Planning Services Technical assistance in cultural planning, creative placemaking, creative community development, arts and cultural data collection and analysis, and cultural policy for municipalities.
• Clean Energy Services Comprehensive local energy and climate planning services including Local Energy Action Program (LEAP), Net Zero Planning, Building Codes for Climate, Green Communities Support, and Green Municipal Aggregation.
• Transportation Planning Services Sustainable transportation planning including corridor planning, parking and land use studies, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure coordination, transportation funding programs, and MPO coordination.
• Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Services Climate and energy action plans, greenhouse gas inventories, vulnerability assessments, climate resiliency plans, hazard mitigation planning, and health impact assessments for municipalities.
• Economic Development Services Research, economic analyses, data support, and technical assistance for economic development including economic development plans, small business support, industrial growth, and workforce development strategies.
• Environment Planning Services Technical assistance on climate preparedness, vulnerability assessments, natural hazard mitigation, sustainable water management, stormwater management, and climate-resilient land use.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 200,000 new housing units needed by 2050 (mostly multifamily in urban areas)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Massachusetts Registry of Motor VehiclescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create the Massachusetts Vehicle Census, combining vehicle registration, inspection records, mileage ratings, and other sources for 2009-2014 data.
• Central Transportation Planning StaffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssisted in development of Massachusetts Vehicle Census data compilation and analysis.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with MAPC and Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles on the Massachusetts Vehicle Census development.
• LyftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperator of Bluebikes bike share system under five-year contract with municipalities, with MAPC serving as regional coordinator. Includes major electric bike fleet expansion.
• MassGIS (Commonwealth's Office of Geographic Information)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of digital parcel and assessor records for statewide land parcel database covering 2.1+ million parcels.
• Boston Indicators ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development of DataCommon platform for regional data exploration and visualization.
• MassDOTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on trail data for TrailMap, transportation planning, and bus network redesign initiatives.
• DCR (Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for trail and recreation data in TrailMap database and trail planning initiatives.
• HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization collaborator on Fix Our Pipes report on natural gas leaks.
• Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on eviction research in Boston, combining BARI research capabilities with MAPC planning data.
• Dukakis Center at Northeastern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Tstation.info transit station area data platform development.
• MassDevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Taxi Program and Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Fund (TIEF) for Covid relief and small business support.
• Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program providing grants to communities for climate vulnerability preparedness and resilience planning.
• OARS (Organization for the Assabet River)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead coordinator for SuAsCo Climate Collaborative serving 36 communities in the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River watersheds.
• ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in examining bus network redesigns nationally and internationally for Better Bus Project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG): State-chartered regional planning agency for the six-county Sacramento region, performing the same regional planning, transportation, housing, and data services role for its member jurisdictions that MAPC performs for Greater Boston's 101 cities and towns.
• Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC): Regional planning organization for the central Puget Sound region covering four counties, executing regional transportation, growth, and economic development planning with a comparable data-and-planning services model.
• Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC): Metropolitan planning organization serving the Greater Philadelphia region, with an almost identical mandate of regional planning, data analysis, and technical assistance to member counties and municipalities.
• Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP): Regional planning agency for the seven-county northeastern Illinois region, providing comprehensive planning, data, and technical assistance services to local governments in a manner directly comparable to MAPC's Greater Boston role.
• San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG): Metropolitan planning organization and regional development agency for the San Diego region, providing long-range planning, transportation funding allocation, and regional data products analogous to MAPC's portfolio of planning and data services.
• New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC): Metropolitan planning organization for the New York region, coordinating regional transportation planning and data analytics across member counties in a structural parallel to MAPC's regional coordination work.

Others

• Urban Institute: National research organization that co-funds MAPC's housing and equity research (e.g., Homes for Profit Phase 2 with RWJF) and produces comparable urban policy research, framing the kind of analytical outputs MAPC delivers at the regional level.
• MassGIS (Massachusetts Bureau of Geographic Information): Statewide office that supplies MAPC's land parcel and assessor data and operates parallel statewide GIS services, representing a key data partner and a broader-incumbent provider of geospatial infrastructure in Massachusetts.

Broad incumbents

• Esri: Dominant GIS and spatial analytics platform provider whose ArcGIS technology underpins much of MAPC's mapping and data infrastructure, representing both a technology partner and a potential broader incumbent in the planning-data space.

Regional players

• Boston Region MPO: The federally designated metropolitan planning organization for the Boston region, overlapping with MAPC's transportation planning footprint in the same 101 municipalities and often partnering on data and planning work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/mapc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MAPCMetroBoston?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Metropolitan-Area-Planning-Council-MAPC/127159693987749
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-area-planning-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/mapcmetroboston/?hl=en
• Xx.com/mapcmetroboston

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MAPC