Burhan Azeem, Cambridge City Councillor
@realBurhanAzeem
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Fighting for Housing & Transit | @MIT Alum @AbundantHomesMA Board
Cambridge, MA
Joined August 2015
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Today Cambridge has become the first city in Massachusetts to remove parking minimums for all use cases, everywhere - almost unanimously to boot too!
This is a huge victory for housing affordability in our city! 🧵
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In Cambridge we are the richest city, in the 2nd richest state, in the richest country in the world.
The idea we cannot have a world class public transit system is a true failing of our politics.
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I understand why people get upset with speed cameras.
It's because they break our implicit socal contract that it's okay to speed as long it's only 5-10 mph over the limit.
That's also why car crashes are a leading cause of death.
It's time for new contract.
#VisionZero
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My bike plan is simple.
I want a city where a 14 year old can bike from one end of Cambridge to another without any fear.
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I'm so profoundly and deeply disheartened by MIT's decision to become a literal gated community.
Over the last few days, I've had calls & conversations with 100s of affected MIT alum, students, & community members.
Here's the situation in their words
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Every person of color on city council voted to remove parking minimums but please keep using POC as a tools to keep housing expensive.
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Cambridge is going to have the biggest basic income program in the US.
We'll be providing $500 every month to every family below the poverty line.
Amazing! Thanks for your leadership
@MayorSiddiqui
&
@Ammallon
@Marc_C_McGovern
!
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I biked this morning over the Mass Ave Bridge and it was wonderful! Watch the new bike lanes in action.
@bostonbikeunion
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We talk about housing all the time but here's a reminder that we're building a 1/3 as much as Seattle and less than we did 2 decades ago.
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Here’s the dream team that made it happen! Thank you to everyone who helped us get reelected!
We were the 2nd highest vote getter after the mayor. Guess housing + transit is popular after all 😉
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As you guys know, I've been looking for a new apartment.
And it's wild. I've applied to 7 places now of which 6 were taken within 30 minutes.
The 7th at $1k/month sent me this 🙃
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Let's get the facts right about bike lanes on Mass Ave.
1. Mass Ave is dangerous. It's the most dangerous street in Cambridge.
I personally saw someone in front of me get hit, fall to the ground and get taken away on the ambulance. September 26th is etched into my brain.
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How is it 2021 and we still don't have protected bike lanes on the mass ave bridge?
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Public comment is so representative that our committee hearing today is 8-0 anti-choice. In Cambridge!
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Tragic. Passing by cyclist hit on Mass Ave clutching his helmet as he fell.
Reminder that this is a policy decision.
#ProtectedBikeLanes
(Taken from a distance to preserve anonymity)
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I wasn’t going to post this yet because it’s early in the process but this is could be a profound change to how we do housing.
This does something for everyone.
It’ll build 10k+ units of housing.
It’ll be net zero and tackle our climate goals.
It’ll allow owners to modify homes
A Cambridge City Council Panel’s Proposal Would Legalize Six-Story Buildings. Everywhere.
“If we want to take the housing crisis seriously, we need to be doing a lot better than we are right now."
-
@realBurhanAzeem
📍 Cambridge, MA
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In this proposal,
1 in 5 new units would need to be affordable forever
And
all would need to meet our rigorous environmental standards for net zero readiness and climate resiliency.
We’ve seen a few projects like this proposed in Cambridge - all have been 6 stories. It’s the
A Cambridge City Council Panel’s Proposal Would Legalize Six-Story Buildings. Everywhere.
“If we want to take the housing crisis seriously, we need to be doing a lot better than we are right now."
-
@realBurhanAzeem
📍 Cambridge, MA
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In 46 states, ebikes are fully legal. MA is not one of them. I spoke on beacon hill on the urgent need for change.
Ebikes have shown to strongly benefit low income residents (often those w/ the longest commutes) and the elderly & disabled (who really benefit from the assist).
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Big News! Monday's night city council agenda is out and it contains my policy order asking for a feasibility study on Cambridge annexing with Somerville.
@CambMA
@SomervilleCity
Read More Here:
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Cities have been doing everything we can to improve public transit.
We've made the tough political decisions to invest in bus lanes, to chip in to make service free & to invest in new stations.
It's so disappointing the state can't be trusted to even keep the trains running.
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One problem is that we treat the MBTA as an antipoverty program and it shouldn't be. In a wealthy country, public transit should be so nice that even the wealthy prefer it.
In Cambridge we are the richest city, in the 2nd richest state, in the richest country in the world.
The idea we cannot have a world class public transit system is a true failing of our politics.
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I have supported every single study, postponement, and funding request. I wanted to show that we needed to bike lanes but we're acting in good faith to find the best solution.
This is a bridge too far. Enough is enough. I'm done acting like every compromise is not enough.
ACTION REQ'D: Councilors Carlone, Simmons, and Toner have introduced 2 policy orders for Monday Apr 25's agenda that would
1) Delay Porter Sq protected bike lanes by at least 4 yrs
2) Remove mandatory deadlines for installation of protected bike lanes on the rest of Mass Ave
1/
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Tonight we'll be voting to reaffirm our support for pedestrianizing Memorial Drive.
*Sigh*
Can we be done?
Do we really need to reaffirm these issues every week?
It's time city hall focuses on other issues. Housing affordability. Gun violence. Youth employment.
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This is what LA is doing right now.
If we wanted to, we could double the size of the MBTA, solve gridlock, and make it so much easier for everyone to get around.
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I am humbled and honored by the elections results. I am so excited to serve as your next city counciler!
As the immigrant kid, who really struggled with acceptance before coming to Cambridge, I wanted to say I'm so grateful for all your faith and trust in me. 1/2
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We deserve a world class transit system.
I've decided to spend the next year on understanding construction costs & why one of the richest cities can't maintain its trains. As well as developing a vision for the future of the Cambridge metro.
Help me find people to talk to!
In Cambridge we are the richest city, in the 2nd richest state, in the richest country in the world.
The idea we cannot have a world class public transit system is a true failing of our politics.
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Presented without comment
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I'm so excited, exactly 1 month after inauguration, for my first policy order as lead sponsor!
PO
#4
& 9 which eliminates all parking minimums. This'll be a huge boon for sustainability and those of us w/o cars.
Big thanks to my cosponsers
@qzondervan
&
@Marc_C_McGovern
!
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Two months ago, I planned to move into my new apartment. Only to get there and discover the two landlords had not talked & rented the place to different people.
Then began my housing saga, moving place to place - struggling to find a place in this market.
Today it ended!
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The MBTA suffers most not from org failures or a lack of funding but from the tyranny of low expectations.
We've been told for years every reason why we can't have a world class system: state control, legacy infra...
And in the meantime, everyone else has been building.
Buenos Aires and Boston subways were born in the same era. But more than 100 years later, one is safe and reliable. The other is in crisis.
A look at the oldest subway in Latin America, where trains come as fast as every 3 minutes, photos by
@OjosdeAnita
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We're becoming more expensive than SF 🙃
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Just chaired my first committee hearing & my bill eliminating parking minimums got out of committee with a favorable recommendation - 5-0 🥂🎉!
Thanks so much to my cosponsers
@MarcGov
@qzondervan
.
Let's get it done ✊
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If California can do it, Cambridge can. Now's the time to legalize multifamily homes citywide.
Governor Newsom just signed Senate Bill 9 and 10, they are now officially law of the land. Two and four family housing in single-family zones statewide.
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This morning I was sworn into office! I'm so thankful to the people of Cambridge for this opportunity.
Today I start my 1st term on the Cambridge City Council and am ready to push for changes that will make our city more fair and equitable.
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Everyone is like housing ruins the community & brings in outsiders but really I just want the city to be affordable so all my friends stick around
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The affordable housing vs market rate housing argument misses the point. It's not a choice because they serve different functions and we can't solve the housing crisis with either alone.
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From what friends have said, it’s likely the cyclist killed today was a Cambridge resident & MIT physics PhD student, I’m so heartbroken.
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I have a 400 year old grudge against Boston and I’ve decided to take out 77 digital billboards today to air it out.
See in 1630 Cambridge was supposed to be the capital but then Boston took it from us. It’s time we return to our full glory.
#MegaCambrdige
Sign my petition at
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Cambridge is using it's ARPA money & budget to fund:
💵 Direct cash for families
🚓Non-violent response teams
🚌 Fare-free buses
These are new policies that may not work but for government to be innovative we have to risk failure.
I'm excited in their promise and results!
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Such incredibly disappointing news. We'll be advocate to keep memorial day open both days!
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Last night the city council voted 7-2 to reaffirm the cycling safety ordinance and then 8-1 to proceed with installing bike lanes via partial build on Mass Ave. We even flipped a vote!
Find my full comments here 👇
He also brought to light the truth: the Council has compromised again and again on bike safety. "When will it be good enough? At some point you just have to admit you don't want the bike lanes!"
There were a lot of passionate voices last night, but this stuck out to me.
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Casually sent to the hospital for riding a bike. This is the status quo.
How many people need to be sent to the hospital before we're willing to put safety over parking?
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If we don't build enough housing the estimates are that median rent in Cambridge will rise from $2400 to $3500 within a decade.
The Boston area is among the worst performing regions in the United States for home production, according to a new report. Up For Growth estimated the state would have had to build an extra 100,000 homes a year to keep up with demand.
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Enough is enough. At some point, you want bike lanes or you don't.
I'm glad the city council voted 6-3 to reject the delays and 8-1 to proceed with the partial build.
Let's get these bike lanes done!
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Cambridge is a multimodal city!
1/3 of households don't own a car at all! In some places, like central square, 2/3 don't own one.
We are frequently a city where drivers are not a majority on our roads.
But, in general, we require every house to have a parking spot.
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Anyone interested in running for city council in Cambridge? If you’re pro housing/transit, let me know! Happy to support and build the next gen.
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In light of the recent cyclist death in Harvard Square
@VoteJivan
@MarcGov
@cllrsiddiqui
and I are asking the city to review intersections through the city and make a plan to improve them.
I’m also hoping to have a conversation Harvard square - which has a dangerous history -
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I just ran a Rugged Manic - a 5k obstacle course!
This was 2 years in the making and huge for me. I'd like to share why. It's a bit personal so please be kind.
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This is a historic failure. Because of our governor & statehouse the T is faced with an almost 50%(!) reduction in service.
Worse it's focused during morning and after work commutes when people need it the most.
It's unacceptable that we'd let transit riders be treated this way
If you're not a regular
@MBTA
rider and want to understand how devastating this is, imagine if
@MassGovernor
announced that because of safety concerns half of all highways lanes in MA are now closed indefinitely.
#mapoli
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Setting the record straight.
1. I don't always bike. I also walk & take the T.
2. I don't have a parking spot? I don't own a car.
3. Most importantly, I would never think myself better than others. We all need to get places; let's make sure the trip is quick & safe.
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On April 4-5 the
@MITGradUnion
will vote
They're fighting for basic rights:
✍️Fair expectations
💼 A harassment-free workplace
🏘️Affordable housing
🦷Dental insurance
Yesterday city council passed my resolution supporting the union & condemning MIT for their union busting.
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Seven of the nine city counselors explicitly ran on these bike lanes in a contentious election where this was a key issue.
That is more than a super majority. That is an overwhelming mandate for these bike lanes.
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Bike lanes seem like a mundane issue. Aren't there other things we should worry about? No.
If I die soon, the likely cause is I got hit while biking.
This isn't a fringe scenario, it's the leading cause of death.
Seven of the nine city counselors explicitly ran on these bike lanes in a contentious election where this was a key issue.
That is more than a super majority. That is an overwhelming mandate for these bike lanes.
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It would be impossible to imagine this today, but we really should. Our metro region is incredibly wealthy and with policy change and political will, we should totally be able to double the size of the MBTA.
Astonishing how much worse we’ve gotten at building transportation infrastructure
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Let me be clear: *This bill will not remove a single spot of parking.*
It's about flexibility. You can build the same amount of parking tomorrow that you could yesterday
But now you could now have a garden or more housing - especially on smaller lots that can't fit both.
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I'm so incredibly infuriated. Every transit advocate has seen this coming for decades.
The Gov/Statehouse just don't care. Remember lockdown - when we weren't using the T or diving as much? Would have been a great time for repairs but no we have to wait for a literal meltdown.
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This is a huge day!
Cities around the world are rethinking parking minimums and I'm proud we're leading the way!
Hopefully Boston and Somerville will follow 😉
Huge thank you to
@Sightline
@DonaldShoup
@Citizen_Cate
for all the research that led to this.
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It’s a lack of funding & planning for growth but we shouldn’t settle. We should aim to double the size of the mbta.
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Cambridge will be launching a Fare-Free Bus 🚌 Pilot Working Group that I will be chairing w/ department heads, community members, and
@StreetsBoston
!
Big thank you to
@MayorSiddiqui
for all her leadership in setting this up.
cc:
@wutrain
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MITs open campus is more than a security feature. It deeply integrates the departments together and allows so many wonderful things to happen at MIT. Here's it put into words by MITs currently President Reif.
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20 years ago my family & I won a lottery ticket allowing us to immigrate to the US.
10 years ago I finally became a citizen.
Everyday I still wake up grateful to live in this country.
I still can't believe I'm so lucky to be here.
Happy independence day!
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Support pro-bike candidates this election day.
We've gotten a lot of resistance and emails this weeks & I think are at real risk of backlash.
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Hi friends! If we can extend some grace to the small business during this time of transition and not talk about boycotting then that'd be very much appreciated 🤗
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Oh yeah! The city council just appropriated $915k for snow clearing.
In there we'll be buying three new bike lane & sidewalk tractors to clear the winter snow ❄️🚜
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