Each of us deserves to live in a vibrant, healthy, neighborhood, where we can get to everyday destinations without too much hassle. These are places where you can pick up a library book on your walk to the local market, where children feel safe playing outside, and where welcoming public spaces encourage gathering and community events. At this forum, Boston Indicators and Massachusetts Housing Partnership Center for Housing Data will release a new research paper, 15-Minute Neighborhoods: Repairing Regional Harms and Building Vibrant Neighborhoods for All, which details a vision for building a regional network of mixed-use neighborhoods where all residents can reach their daily needs within a 15-minute walk from their home.

While Greater Boston has real potential to build more 15-minute neighborhoods, to date many policy decisions have moved us in the opposite direction. Transportation and land use policies have prioritized cars for generations, encouraging sprawl and separating residential from commercial uses. Many of these communities have been allowed to adopt single-family-exclusive zoning, contributing to persistent residential segregation by race and income.

The paper and the event will include a focused policy discussion about steps for advancing this vision at the state, regional and local levels. And it will include discussion of some promising recent advances, such as the legislature’s new requirement that every MBTA community develop at least one multifamily zoning district.