The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) was Boston’s planning and economic development agency, with a remit focused on the city and its neighborhoods.3 Its roots date to 1957, when the Boston Redevelopment Authority was established by the Boston City Council and Massachusetts Legislature; the BRA adopted the BPDA identity in 2016.23
The agency’s work included guiding development, planning neighborhoods, reviewing major real-estate proposals and managing public property. Its planning remit also covered zoning and citywide planning, with community engagement central to how plans were developed.3 The BPDA managed more than 20 million square feet of real estate, according to its leadership page.
A major recent change was the creation of a City of Boston Planning Department. It officially began operating in July 2024, and most BPDA staff moved into the new department.11 The department took on comprehensive planning for Boston’s built environment, zoning, development review, urban design and public-land planning.11 Among the initiatives associated with this transition were citywide zoning reform and Squares + Streets, intended to increase housing availability near transit.11
The agency’s leadership also changed during the transition: Kairos Shen became the city’s Chief of Planning in October 2024, while Teresa Polhemus is listed as BPDA Executive Director/Secretary.12 The BPDA’s geographic scope is local: its work concerns Boston, Massachusetts.3