Last night, I spent a few hours with the Undergraduate Government of Boston College.  I enjoyed the opportunity to share my ideas on how we can make Boston a greater city, and I was impressed by the questions from the informed and engaged students.

As The Heights reported, there was some debate over the issue of the law that limits the number of undergraduate students living in one apartment to four.  This law is good for everyone in our city—longtime residents, young professionals, and undergraduate students.  I believe we currently have housing gridlock in neighborhoods near universities.  This law will allow graduates—a demographic that is currently leaving Boston for other cities to find housing opportunities.

Enrollments in Boston’s world-class colleges and universities continue to grow, yet our city is actually losing residents between the ages of 24 and 30 at a rate higher than the rest of the country.

The talented young people who call Boston home for four years are not staying after graduation.  This means our city is losing the innovators who will bring new jobs and new opportunities in the future.  It’s critical that we work to create jobs and housing to keep recent graduates in Boston for that fifth year and beyond.

We must continue to approach the student housing issue on multiple fronts, including continuing to demand that colleges and universities increase dormitory creation.