Benjamin Forman
Research Director
Gateway Cities, Urban Policy
Ben Forman's public policy research background includes a concentration in urban policy, economic development strategies and housing policies. He is the lead researcher and program co-lead for MassINC's Gateway Cities program.
Benjamin Forman joined MassINC as a research associate in February 2008. He brings varied work experiences all with a focus on urban revitalization. As a research assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, Benjamin was deeply involved in analysis of Census 2000 data. The reports he co-authored between 2001 and 2002 were some of the first to describe new trends driving urban change. He has also worked much closer to the ground. As a Rappaport Public Policy Fellow in 2003, he interned for the City of New Bedford, contributing to a brownfield redevelopment project involving several large underutilized waterfront parcels. Between 2004 and 2007, Benjamin oversaw strategic planning and performance management efforts for the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, working to strengthen the critical services the agency provided to youth and families in neighborhoods throughout the city.
Benjamin graduated from Trinity College, Hartford in 1999. He completed his masters degree in city planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004.