Meet Burhan

Burhan Azeem is a three-term city councillor and current Vice Mayor of Cambridge. He is one of the leading voices on housing affordability in Massachusetts. After immigrating from Pakistan at the age of six, Burhan and his family relied on Medicaid and food stamps, which shaped his view of government. He learned firsthand that when programs work, they change lives for the better. 

​​

After earning a full scholarship to MIT, Burhan became an EMT and built several successful companies. After being frustrated by rising costs and the impossibility of finding an apartment in Cambridge, Burhan ran for office, dedicating himself to passing policies that bring down costs for working families.

 

The Boston Globe called Burhan a “mild-mannered engineer who’s pushing Cambridge to finally tackle its housing crisis.” The MIT Technology Review described him as a “walking antidote to political cynicism.” He is a key figure in the abundance movement, co-founding Abundant Housing Massachusetts and the Welcoming Neighbors Network.​​

​

Burhan's Record​​​

Burhan’s record is about delivering.

​

Universal Pre-K

In September 2021, while running for city council, Burhan wrote an op-ed saying, “Now’s the moment for universal pre-K.” For almost 30 years, Cambridge had been talking about it. Finally, after years of effort, Cambridge finally launched its universal pre-K program in February 2024. Burhan made a promise and he delivered.​

​

Housing

As a co-founder of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, Burhan knew that tackling the housing crisis was critical. In his first term on city council, he led the push to end parking minimums, which made it more expensive to build housing. This historic legislation was recognized as a huge step towards more affordable housing and pushed forward a nationwide movement. Burhan wrote the legislation to expand the Affordable Housing Overlay and build much-needed affordable, income-restricted housing in the city.​

 

In Burhan’s second term, he focused on expanding housing and passed Cambridge’s landmark multifamily housing zoning. Cambridge had been trying to pass it for years. View his X/Bluesky thread on the process with an in-depth primer for nerds. Burhan ran on it and made it happen. 

​

​​

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boston Globe called it “the most ambitious new zoning anywhere in the nation,” while its Editorial Board congratulated Cambridge on its success. Bloomberg City Lab covered the grassroots movement that led to its passage. 

​

Trump Administration

When Trump threatened to freeze funding to Harvard University, Burhan and his city council colleagues urged the university to stand up to Trump. Burhan gathered a petition of over 800 signatures and organized a rally calling on Harvard to stand up to Trump. Burhan voted to strengthen Cambridge’s Welcoming City Ordinance and bar city police from cooperating with ICE.​

​