A Mandate for Bostonβs Suburbs: Make Room for More Apartments NYT > Top Stories By:Jenna Russell 16 February 2025 at 04:00 The state required 177 cities and towns served by public transit to loosen their zoning rules so that more multifamily housing can be built. A number of them resisted. Β© Sophie Park for The New York TimesSupporters of the MBTA Communities Act outside Town Hall in Needham, Mass., last year