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Burhan Azeem Home address: Contact information: Send contributions to: |
“I’m committed to Cambridge and advocating for all our residents - ensuring no one is left behind.” Most Recently I’ve,
About Burhan Azeem: I immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan when I was four years old. I grew up on food stamps & Medicaid. I was lucky enough to get a full scholarship to MIT, where I studied sustainable energy. I still support my parents and am a renter who bikes to work. Background Born in Multan, Pakistan, Burhan immigrated to the United States when he was four years old. His memories of his childhood involve frequent housing insecurity, such as being afraid that the landlord would evict them because they were not officially on the lease. He knows crowded housing first hand. His English abilities were crucial to helping his family and his little sisters. At MIT, interested in developing more sustainable energy sources, he majored in Material Sciences. I Support
Affordable Housing - Read More I believe that people deserve housing security. During COVID, I started the nonprofit Abundant Housing MA to address our regional housing crisis. Cambridge must build more transit-oriented housing and pursue development without displacement through tenant protections, restrictions to prevent speculative investment, and a long-term vacancy tax. We need to tackle the legacy of racist policies that led to our current zoning. Housing policy is climate policy. We need to build more and greener housing without sacrificing the essence of Cambridge. Our city must remain walkable and transit-based—a model of sustainability. I will not accept donations from any developers. Climate & The Environment - Read More We are far too optimistic when we talk about climate change. We aspire towards a 1.5°C temperature rise instead of 2°C, hoping that this might allow some island nations to survive. This is wishful thinking. We imagine our world is currently heading towards decarbonization; we think, with all this energy for change, we are taking strong action on climate change. We can prevent this climate crisis if we act now and fight for transformative change. Here in Cambridge, we are the most progressive, prosperous, scientific, and resourceful community in the Commonwealth. Progress can and should start with us. And if we are to succeed, we will need to be bold. Universal Pre-K & DayCare - Read More At this moment, the city has a patchwork of options and a complex lottery system that leaves children behind. There are several issues.
It’s time we fixed these issues and provided universal access to everyone. Now is the moment to muster that will. The pandemic has touched every one of our lives, but it has been especially hard on some, including the parents of young children. These are the kids least likely to benefit from digital learning and the parents who’ve had to live without day care or support during the lockdown. These are the parents – and women in particular – who have made the difficult decision to step back from their careers to care for their children. We owe it to these kids and their parents to provide pre-K for every single child. Public Safety - Read Below As an EMT ambulance worker while at MIT, I’ve also worked hand-in-hand with the police. While we were the ones who were supposed to talk a person down from suicide, it was the police who were at our backs in case things turned dangerous. I got to know Cambridge from the inside of an ambulance. I understand public safety both as a person of color and as someone who has benefited from police protection when helping Cambridge residents in their direst moments. Cambridge needs an alternative unarmed response to non-violent situations. Transportation - Read More We should be investing in public transportation. We need a better T. It is critical to get people where they need to go. It will pay dividends. It will help us tackle climate change and our housing crisis. We need to address transit deserts in Cambridgeport and West Cambridge. We should never be more than half a mile from a bus stop. This means adding bus lanes to speed up service and help people get to where they need to go. I am a supporter of Cambridge Bike Safety and their pledge. CCTV candidate video (2021) 2021 MCNA Candidate Forum (Azeem) 2019 Candidate Page CCTV candidate video (2019) |
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Page last updated Sunday, October 24, 2021 10:12 AM | Cambridge Candidates |