Quantcast
Walsh and Boston colleges meet on off-campus housing – Metro US

Walsh and Boston colleges meet on off-campus housing

A Boston University student was killed and 15 others hurt in a 2013 fire in Allston. Credit: Cheun Park A Boston University student was killed and a dozen others hurt in a 2013 fire in Allston. Credit: Cheun Park

Mayor Marty Walsh and leaders from nearly two dozen universities met on Tuesday over safety concerns for the thousands of college students that live in off-campus housing.

Walsh’s office said in a statement that he asked the colleges to the addresses of students who are living off-campus to the city within 30 days. The effort is to ensure that landlords are adhering to the city’s zoning regulations that limit unsafe living, dangerous egress conditions and the number of full-time undergraduate unrelated students sharing an apartment, the city said.

“The city of Boston and its academic institutions must work together and take action together to protect students from irresponsible landlords,” Walsh said in a statement. “There are small steps we can take now to make large strides in the safety of students who are living off-campus.”

The effort comes after the Globe Spotlight series exposed hazards for students, an inability by the city and a lack of attention by property owners and landlords in the off-campus housing market.

Those universities and colleges that took part in the meeting were:Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts; Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology; Berklee College of Music; Boston Architectural College; Boston College; Boston University; Emerson College; Emmanuel College; Fisher College; Harvard University; Massachusetts College of Art & Design; Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences; MIT; New England Conservatory; Northeastern University; Roxbury Community College; Simmons College; Suffolk University; Tufts University; UMass Boston; Urban College of Boston; and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.