Meet Burhan

In my first two terms as a City Councilor, I’ve fought hard to bring down the cost of housing, implement Universal Pre-K, and provide safe and affordable transportation options. 

 

This term, I introduced and passed groundbreaking zoning reforms that re-legalized the kinds of housing that made Cambridge affordable.

 

I’ve also passed legislation that removes costly parking mandates and streamlines permitting of 100% affordable apartments. This progress has established Cambridge as a national leader in tackling the housing crisis head-on. You can view my X/Bluesky thread on how we made this happen, with an in-depth primer for nerds.

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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.

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My commitment to bringing down the cost of living and making Cambridge was shaped by my immigrant childhood. When my family first moved to the United States, we shared an apartment with extended family and lived in fear of eviction.

 

I was lucky enough to get a full scholarship to MIT, where I studied materials engineering and served part-time as an EMT in Cambridge, where I was privileged to help my neighbors in some of their most vulnerable moments. 

 

After graduating, I worked as an entrepreneur, helping to grow a healthcare startup from six employees to hundreds of employees, and eventual acquisition.

 

I’ve seen firsthand how Cambridge changes lives and generates tremendous opportunity. Now, we have to make sure that it’s affordable and accessible for the next generation. Cities like Cambridge should be a driver of economic opportunity and upward mobility, and I’m going to keep fighting to make it affordable.

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