The Codcast

In the past few years, Boston has been reshaping the institutions it uses to guide the city's growth. This week on the Codcast, Arthur Jemison, Boston's Chief of Planning and Director of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, talks to CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith about these changes, how they fit into a broader vision for Boston's development, and how they incorporate community involvement in that vision.

This week on The Codcast, National Grid experts Owen Brady-Traczyk and Bill Foley join CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss two pilot programs bringing networked geothermal heating and cooling systems to Massachusetts.

This week on Health or Consequences, John McDonough and Paul Hattis are joined by Michael Levine, Assistant Secretary for MassHealth. They discuss the importance of MassHealth in the MA healthcare landscape, the agency's holistic approach to coverage and service provision, its response to the pandemic, and its relationship to the federal government.

Gov. Maura Healey's State of the Commonwealth address included ambitious language about supporting transportation, but the details remain to be seen. This week on The Codcast, former Sec. of Transportation Jim Aloisi and Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board Brian Kane join CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl to discuss what kind of support Massachusetts's transportation system needs and is likely to get.

Note: Jim Aloisi kindly joined on short notice, and his audio has some construction noise. It's been cleaned up as much as possible.

Last year, the Dirty Deeds Project brought to light hundreds of racially restrictive covenants in home deeds on the North Shore. North Shore NAACP branch president Kenann McKenzie-DeFranza and Harborlight Homes Advocacy and Education Manager Jean Michael Fana join CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss the project, and how telling this ugly history can empower Massachusetts communities to confront it together.

Few industries have faced more challenges in the past few years than restaurants. Devra First, the Boston Globe's restaurant critic and food writer, joins CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss how restaurants are adapting to those challenges, her approach to criticism, and what makes a great restaurant in 2024.

After many years in which it was effectively illegal to build new triple-deckers in Somerville, any homeowner can now add a third unit to their property. Somerville city councilor Matt McLaughlin, and Jesse Kanson-Benanav of Abundant Housing, join CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss the past, present, and future of the triple-decker and its contribution to affordable housing in Massachusetts.

Mayor Michelle Wu has had to negotiate a tremendous number of labor contracts, including most recently with the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association. Lou Mandarini, Wu's senior advisor for labor, joins CommonWealth's Jennifer Smith and Gin Dumcius to discuss the BPPA contract and the city's approach to collective bargaining.

Journalists, like everyone else, are wrestling with the impact of AI on their work. Sarah Scire, deputy editor of Nieman Labs, joins CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss predictions about AI tools in journalism, their use and misuse, and how readers feel about the technology.

This week on Health or Consequences, hosts Paul Hattis and John McDonough are joined by David Seltz, founding executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. They discuss what the HPC has learned about health care costs over the last decade, where Massachusetts stands relative to other states, and the HPC's current policy priorities.