Blue Hills Reservation
The Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre state park situated south of Boston, offers a range of amenities, including trails, ponds, picnic areas, sports fields, a ski slope, a community farm, and educational programs for children. These resources are not easily accessible to Boston-area residents who rely on public transit, however.
Studying Equity and Access
A coalition of advocacy and community groups proposed that the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) study the issue of equity of access to the Blue Hills. In 2022, MPO staff:
- conducted a review of issues related to urban access to green and recreational spaces;
- analyzed the demographics of the study's target area;
- assessed current public transit access to the Blue Hills;
- designed proposed solutions to improve access; and
- created a StoryMap summarizing the findings.
Among the proposed solutions was seasonal bus service using a modified route of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus Route 716.
In May 2025, the MBTA, along with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, announced that a service pilot would launch in the summer, expanding the MBTA’s Route 716 bus from Mattapan to Houghton’s Pond on Saturdays.
Community engagement was central to this study, and conversations with community organizations based in southern Boston neighborhoods near the Blue Hills underscored the importance of ongoing community participation in further work to expand access to the Blue Hills.
“We need to break down barriers to accessing green space. With transit access to the Blue Hills we could get more kids outdoors and exploring this important resource in their own backyard.”
– Cam Regan, Director of Programming and Operations, Elevate Youth