Overview
The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) is planning to hire two Planning and Development Interns for the Summer of 2025. The CRA internship program aims to empower aspiring urban planning and community development professionals by offering training, mentorship, industry exposure, and a supportive environment to foster equitable planning and redevelopment work.
Working collaboratively as part of the CRA’s Planning and Development team, interns will support the implementation of a variety of real estate and community infrastructure projects along with research, analysis, project design, and community engagement initiatives related to the CRA’s redevelopment programs. Interns will be staffed on a curated set of projects aligned with their professional interests to provide for a breadth of experience. Interns will work closely with the CRA’s project management and project planning staff; dedicated project leads will guide interns in approaching their tasks and help refine their technical skills, while the CRA’s Leadership Team will offer valuable insights to support their broader career growth. We look forward to benefiting as an organization from the skills interns have gleaned through their lived and curricular experiences as we seek to reshape public redevelopment.
While there is no typical day, examples of the kinds of activities the interns will support include:
· Conducting neighborhood land use and data analysis to inform community investments,
· Evaluating potential project sites for affordable housing, affordable commercial spaces, or community facilities,
· Providing support and technical assistance for nonprofit capital improvement programs,
· Assisting with evaluation of redevelopment projects,
· Researching opportunities to enhance workforce development programming and other projects that advance economic opportuntiy, and
· Planning improvements to transportation infrastructure and open space.
The Planning and Development Intern’s work is done indoors in a professional office setting in Kendall Square, as well as outdoors at various local project and meeting sites. This role may involve attendance at some evening meetings. The CRA anticipates interns will work for 30 hours per week over a 10 to 12 week period, commencing in late May or early June and concluding in mid to late August. Exact start and end dates are flexible.
For a full position description, please click here.
About Cambridge Redevelopment Authority
The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority is committed to implementing creative development projects and initiatives that promote social equity and environmental sustainability. As a real estate entity that works in the public interest, we offer distinctive public investment tools and a human dimension to our projects and partnerships throughout the city. This mission requires the CRA to be both nimble and strategic in taking on new projects and initiatives. In recent years, the CRA has completed the Foundry Demonstration Project, amended the Kendall Square Urban Redevelopment Plan (KSURP), created the Forward Fund nonprofit grant program, launched the Housing Capital Fund to support housing production in Cambridge, initiated the Neighborhood Storefronts Project economic opportunity program, and purchased and renovated the nonprofit office building at 99 Bishop Allen Drive, among other efforts. Current project priorities include the development of affordable homeownership projects, the preservation of commercial spaces that advance economic opportunity, and the delivery of vital community infrastructure including transportation facilities.
The CRA knows that diversity, equity, and inclusion make us stronger as individuals, organizations, and a society. Our work requires understanding of the problems that cities face and the impact of our interventions on residents and communities. The CRA provides a flexible, supportive, and family- friendly work environment and supports all staff in implementing their work, including people with disabilities. We are also committed to a work culture that values the commitments employees have to their families, including members of all generations.
