This guide covers maps and urban planning resources of Boston and Massachusetts towns at the Boston Public Library. There is also a brief list of other institutions with Boston and Massachusetts urban planning materials.
See the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center gallery hours, special hours, and research hours on their website.
Remote Reference and Research Services:
https://www.leventhalmap.org/research/
Boston Redevelopment Authority Collection
Boston Redevelopment Authority Maps and Plans
Lot Plans
Urban Atlases
For undigitized maps or other materials, search the catalog by Subject for [name of town] city planning
These are the major municipal agencies that have been involved in urban planning in Boston. Some materials have been digitized and are available on Internet Archive or Digital Commonwealth.
For other towns, search the catalog by Author for [name of town] planning board
Dana F. Perkins Inc. Surveying Records
This collection includes documentation created by 3 Metropolitan Boston surveying companies giving a snapshot view of how their survey work was done from mid-19th century to mid-20th century (1839-1949). Maps, sketches, and drawings are represented from the W.A. Mason & Sons surveying company (1839-1947), the William H. Whitney surveying company (1886-1906), and the Fuller-Whitney Corporation (1882-1891). The materials include surveys of lands in the Metropolitan Boston area, outlying towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and the landmark ‘Back Bay Filling Project,’ 1882-1891.
Robert Bayard Bellamy Surveying Papers
This collection comprises over 600 surveys from mid-19th to mid-20th century for towns across Massachusetts, with a handful covering other New England towns. The most represented surveyors are Robert Bayard Bellamy (1879-1962) and Frederic Endicott (1839-1918).