The Greater Boston area offers one of the most diverse collections of local government anywhere. While some municipalities have well-paid elected officials and civil servants, others operate on a part-time basis with few resources and little compensation. Whatever the form of local government, elected officials and others need to keep in touch with the latest thinking on planning, housing, transportation, finance, capital budgeting, and other issues.

The Rappaport Institute strives to provide opportunities for policy-makers in Greater Boston to reflect on their goals and visions for their municipality, learn about new and exciting public management tools, and discuss matters of common interest and concern in Greater Boston. In the past, the Rappaport Institute has sponsored many such events, including a daylong retreat for City of Cambridge officials, a trip to Baltimore that offered local officials a chance to learn about the CitiStat program, special morning sessions open to public officials on topics such as navigating fiscal crises in their cities, labor and contract negotiations and smart growth issues and a day-long program for public officials on implementing the CitiStat program in their cities.

Our free seminars provide overviews of the major issues faced by local government, offer commentary by experts from Harvard and other universities, and an opportunity to interact with state officials about programs offered by the Commonwealth. Subjects covered include: planning and zoning, transportation, housing, municipal finance, capital planning, environment, and parks.