A Systematic Approach to Climate Resilience Planning
The Field Lab partnered with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to examine climate-related risks affecting transit assets and infrastructure across the MBTA system.
Projects Library
Our Projects Library showcases two decades of applied public finance and civic leadership in action.
Each project represents a real-world collaboration between Harvard graduate students, faculty, and government partners working to solve complex challenges across the Greater Boston region. From coastal resilience planning to municipal budgeting innovations, these projects highlight the Field Lab’s commitment to experiential learning, evidence-based policy, and public service. Explore the library to see how students translate classroom knowledge into measurable impact for cities and communities.
2026 Spring Semester Projects
This spring, students in the Greater Boston Applied Field Lab are partnering with municipalities and regional organizations across Massachusetts to tackle real-world budgeting, financial management, and operational challenges. Current projects include:
Belmont, MA
Client Partner: Chris Ryan, Director of Planning and Building
Project Category: Housing
Project: Develop a flexible financial model and market analysis to test key development assumptions (e.g., height, density, parking, affordability, commercial mix) and demonstrate how design and policy choices affect developer feasibility and returns.
Analytical tools: Financial modeling, market analysis, sensitivity analysis, benchmarking, interviews
Fitchburg, MA
Client Partner: Mayor Sam Squailia
Project Category: Capital Planning / Infrastructure
Project: Analyze financing options and prioritization strategies to maintain and improve Fitchburg’s road network.
Analytical tools: Benchmarking, scenario modeling, interviews, GIS/spatial analysis, financial analysis
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Client Partner: Lizzi Weyant, Executive Director
Project Category: Public Finance / Tax Policy
Project: Model alternative Proposition 2½ levy limits and assess distributional impacts across different community types and taxpayer profiles.
Analytical tools: Financial forecasting, backtesting, scenario modeling, benchmarking
Somerville, MA – Curbside Composting
Client Partner: Mayor Jake Wilson
Project Category: Operations / Environment
Project: Benchmark curbside composting programs in comparable municipalities and build a fiscal model to identify breakeven and other scenarios based on participation rates and other key assumptions.
Analytical tools: Financial modeling, budget development, benchmarking, sensitivity analysis
Somerville, MA – 911 and 311 Co-Response Model
Client Partner: Mayor Jake Wilson
Project Category: Operations / Shared Services / Public Safety / Behavioral Health
Project: Map current dispatch protocols and interagency workflows for the 911 and 311 systems to support the expansion of a co-response model.
Analytical tools: Operational analysis, process mapping, interviews, cost analysis
Worcester, MA
Client Partner: Eric Batista, City Manager
Project Category: Economic Development
Project: Build illustrative redevelopment scenarios for 611 Main Street and translate development and policy assumptions into estimated assessed values to understand municipal fiscal implications.
Analytical tools: Financial analysis and modeling, benchmarking, sensitivity analysis
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Activity-Based Cost Analysis for Procurement
The Field Lab partnered with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to examine procurement processes and associated costs, including how procurement activities contribute to overall operating expenses.
Advancing Environmental Justice in Chelsea
The Field Lab partnered with the City of Chelsea and the Environmental Protection Agency to support environmental justice planning and access to federal funding.
Alternative-Source Revenue and Development Options for the Lynn MBTA Garage
The Field Lab partnered with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to examine potential alternative uses and revenue scenarios for the underutilized Lynn Station parking garage
Assisting Multi-Unit Buildings with BERDO 2.0 Compliance
The Field Lab partnered with the City of Boston to examine compliance challenges associated with the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0), with a focus on multi-owner residential buildings.
Brighton Up the Block: Commercial Development
The Field Lab partnered with the Town of Belmont to examine commercial development opportunities along the Brighton Street corridor in the context of fiscal pressures and community priorities.
Budgeting for Stormwater Management
The Field Lab partnered with the Town of Hingham to examine financial and budgeting considerations associated with meeting federally mandated stormwater management requirements.
Bulky Waste Collection System Analysis
The Field Lab partnered with the City of Hartford to examine the budgetary and operational impacts of recent changes to the city’s bulky waste collection system.
Capital Facilities Planning and Municipal Decision-Making
The Field Lab partnered with the Town of Billerica to examine capital facilities planning processes and long-term infrastructure decision-making.
Coastal Flood Risk and the Community Rating System
The Field Lab partnered with the Office of Congressman Seth Moulton and coastal communities in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District to examine flood risk and participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System. The...
Community Land Trust and Affordable Housing
The Field Lab partnered with the City of Somerville to examine community land trust models and their application within a local affordable housing context.
Community Perspectives to Inform Resilience Strategy
The Field Lab partnered with the City of Portland to examine adaptation challenges facing the working waterfront in the context of climate change and sea level rise.
