Writing a new chapter, Boston stacks homes above libraries

In Boston, home may be where the books are.

Across three neighborhoods – the West End, Uphams Corner, and Chinatown – the city is moving forward with a plan to build new public libraries topped with affordable housing. The idea is rooted in necessity: record-high rents, limited land, and aging civic buildings have pushed Boston to rethink how public assets can serve more than one purpose at once.

“Libraries are often the most treasured neighborhood asset,” says Joe Backer, senior development officer with the Mayor’s Office of Housing. In recent years, he says, “there’s been a real push to rethink how city-owned land and buildings can be tools for meeting housing needs.” Combining the two, he adds, “is a no-brainer. It’s how cities have always grown.”

Why We Wrote This

For many people,