Emily Haber is the program director of Boston Main Streets, a public-private
initiative of the City of Boston established to revitalize Boston’s many
neighborhood commercial districts. Under her guidance, Boston Main Streets
has become an award-winning model for urban commercial district revitalization
and was chosen by the Pew Partnership as one of 19 “Solutions for America”.
As program director, Emily oversees the provision of technical and financial
resources and coordination of city services to 19 designated main street districts.
In addition to direct assistance to the districts, the Boston Main Streets office
works on city-wide initiatives to assist with revitalization and promotion of
neighborhood commercial districts. She recently spearheaded the establishment
of the Boston Main Streets Foundation, a non-profit organization responsible
for the long-term sustainability of the individual main streets organizations
in Boston.
Emily has led numerous workshops and trainings on urban commercial
district revitalization. Prior to joining Boston Main Streets in 1995, she worked
for the City of Boston in the development of affordable housing. She is originally
from New York City where she worked for the Department of Housing Preservation and
Development as a loan officer for the development of affordable housing.
She received a Masters in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and a B.A. from Vassar College. She currently resides in Roslindale,
one of the first urban main street programs in the country, with her husband and two sons.