Burhan Azeem
He/Him
Currently: Incumbent
Election history: seeking third Council term
He/Him
Currently: Incumbent
Election history: seeking third Council term
Burhan Azeem's family immigrated to the United States from Pakistan when he was young. They moved several times, and Burhan described how, as a brown Muslim immigrant living in the USA after 9-11, Cambridge was the first place he felt welcome.
He holds a Bachelor of Science from MIT and speaks three languages. He has studied sustainability and is passionate about mitigating climate change and its impacts. Burhan worked as a software engineer before his election to City Council in 2021, and worked two full-time jobs as as an engineer and city councillor until March of 2025.
Burhan previously served on the board of A Better Cambridge and founded the state-wide housing nonprofit Abundant Housing Massachusetts.
He is the only sitting Councillor who does not own a car.
Burhan's housing stance can broadly be described as "yes". In his first term, he was a strong supporter of expanding the Affordable Housing Overlay, loosening the restrictions places on non-profit built, subsidized, income-restricted housing developers. He also supported removing required parking mandates, maintaining that they drive up the cost of housing. In his second, he was a strong supporter of the multifamily zoning change.
He's also spoken and written about ensuring tenant right-to-council, increasing funding for the city's Office of Housing Liaison, and rent stabilization.
Burhan's work on the Multifamily Zoning Ordinance led to a number of articles in outlets that generally don't cover Cambridge. He's also been named, with Sumbul Siddiqui, as Abundant Housing Massachusetts' Legislator of the Year.
To productively address our housing crisis we need to address supply, subsidy, and stability. This means that we need to build more housing, provide more resources to help people afford housing, and strengthen protections for residents.
I faced a lot of economic uncertainty growing up and had to move a lot. This matters to me an incredible amount. My legislative aide is a tenant attorney and I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can improve the experience of tenants. I strongly support giving all tenants a right to a lawyer. I also support requiring all rental units to be listed on a rental registry, as they are in Boston, to promote greater transparency, accountability for landlords, and to give us as policymakers more insight into the contours of our housing crisis.
Housing policy is climate policy.
There’s a well-documented problem of public meetings and boards being unrepresentative–BU professors Katherine Einstein, Maxwell Palmer, and David Glick have conducted extensive research on this across Massachusetts municipalities.
I’m a strong supporter of bus priority infrastructure, including bus lanes and transit signal priority. I’ll continue to make sure Cambridge gets a seat at the table as the MBTA’s Bus Network Redesign process continues, and push a modernized Porter Rail commuter rail station and new “infill” commuter rail station for Alewife.
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Better Cambridge | |||
| Greater Boston Labor Council | |||
| Cambridge Bicycle Safety | |||
| UAW | |||
| Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU | this cycle | ||
| 32BJ SEIU | this cycle | ||
| Massachusetts Sierra Club | this cycle |
Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance
Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance
Housing policy, development, governance
Housing policy, development, governance
Various questions relevant to interests of the MIT Grad Sudent Congress and broader community
Various questions relevant to interests of the MIT Grad Sudent Congress and broader community
Open-ended Q&A on the popular internet forum
Open-ended Q&A on the popular internet forum
Housing, zoning, governance, infrastructure
Housing, zoning, governance, infrastructure
Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association City Council Candidate Night 2025
Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association City Council Candidate Night 2025
Porter Square Neighborhood Association and Baldwin Neighborhood Council City Council Candidate Forum at Lesley University
Porter Square Neighborhood Association and Baldwin Neighborhood Council City Council Candidate Forum at Lesley University
But not every Democrat sees a contradiction. One of them is Burhan Azeem, a second-term Cambridge city councilor, who coauthored an essay in The Nation arguing that abundance and economic progressivism work together to improve people’s lives. “I am a progressive in the literal sense of the word, which is like, you need progress,” Azeem told me at a cafe last month. Abundance is “just the how of how you solve problems. And what problem you’re solving really does matter.”
Nov. 3, 2025 — Ian Prasad PhilbrickBut not every Democrat sees a contradiction. One of them is Burhan Azeem, a second-term Cambridge city councilor, who coauthored an essay in The Nation arguing that abundance and economic progressivism work together to improve people’s lives. “I am a progressive in the literal sense of the word, which is like, you need progress,” Azeem told me at a cafe last month. Abundance is “just the how of how you solve problems. And what problem you’re solving really does matter.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley is backing a slate of candidates in Cambridge, a week out from the city’s municipal election. She’s endorsing Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, Vice Mayor Marc McGovern and Councilors Sumbul Siddiqui, Ayesha Wilson, Jivan Sobrinho Wheeler and Burhan Azeem, “each of whom leads with empathy and conviction, rooted in the belief that government must be a force for equity and justice,” she said in a statement.
Oct. 28, 2025 — Kelly GarrityRep. Ayanna Pressley is backing a slate of candidates in Cambridge, a week out from the city’s municipal election. She’s endorsing Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, Vice Mayor Marc McGovern and Councilors Sumbul Siddiqui, Ayesha Wilson, Jivan Sobrinho Wheeler and Burhan Azeem, “each of whom leads with empathy and conviction, rooted in the belief that government must be a force for equity and justice,” she said in a statement.
This year’s ballot questions are the product of years of community effort, from the 2021 ballot initiative to the long months of review and debate that followed. These charter updates are not sweeping reforms, but they are meaningful improvements that make our government more accountable, more transparent, and a little more democratic.
Oct. 27, 2025 — Burhan AzeemThis year’s ballot questions are the product of years of community effort, from the 2021 ballot initiative to the long months of review and debate that followed. These charter updates are not sweeping reforms, but they are meaningful improvements that make our government more accountable, more transparent, and a little more democratic.
Incumbent Burhan Azeem, one of the most pro-housing development incumbents on council, was seemingly unimpressed by the Repeal Slate’s announcement.
“This is grievance politics; united only by the desire to repeal something, not to stand for anything. There’s nothing here about what their replacement plan for the city would look like and how it would address the challenges the city faces,” Azeem said in a text message. He compared the effort to political dynamics at play on the national level: “It’s the same emptiness we saw with the Obamacare repeal effort: There is no alternative provided and no substance, besides concepts of a plan.”
Oct. 12, 2025 — Jane PetersenIncumbent Burhan Azeem, one of the most pro-housing development incumbents on council, was seemingly unimpressed by the Repeal Slate’s announcement.
“This is grievance politics; united only by the desire to repeal something, not to stand for anything. There’s nothing here about what their replacement plan for the city would look like and how it would address the challenges the city faces,” Azeem said in a text message. He compared the effort to political dynamics at play on the national level: “It’s the same emptiness we saw with the Obamacare repeal effort: There is no alternative provided and no substance, besides concepts of a plan.”
We had different takes on the original proposal and the final version. We each preferred different drafts of the legislation. Yet we both voted for a version that was not our first choice. Why? Because we cared more about addressing our city’s challenges and finding a compromise we could all live with. Sometimes leadership means compromise.
Sept. 30, 2025 — Patty Nolan and Burhan AzeemWe had different takes on the original proposal and the final version. We each preferred different drafts of the legislation. Yet we both voted for a version that was not our first choice. Why? Because we cared more about addressing our city’s challenges and finding a compromise we could all live with. Sometimes leadership means compromise.
Incumbents were often accused of being too similar in perspective. Azeem, the lone incumbent at the first forum, was often put in the role of having to defend the council, which he said “does a good job of disagreeing and then coming to agreement. We try to get to a place that’s consensus-oriented. That wasn’t always the case.”
Sept. 23, 2025 — Michael FitzgeraldIncumbents were often accused of being too similar in perspective. Azeem, the lone incumbent at the first forum, was often put in the role of having to defend the council, which he said “does a good job of disagreeing and then coming to agreement. We try to get to a place that’s consensus-oriented. That wasn’t always the case.”
Councilor Burhan Azeem, a consistently pro-development voice on the Council, said he believes that Cambridge voters have reliably chosen candidates with bold policy proposals for increased zoning.
“I think the voters have shown time and time again that they care more about bringing down housing prices and affordability and cost of living than they do about being resistant to change, and I’m hopeful that that’ll happen again,” Azeem said.
Sept. 12, 2025 — Shawn A. Boehmer, Dionise Guerra-Carrillo, and Jack B. ReardonCouncilor Burhan Azeem, a consistently pro-development voice on the Council, said he believes that Cambridge voters have reliably chosen candidates with bold policy proposals for increased zoning.
“I think the voters have shown time and time again that they care more about bringing down housing prices and affordability and cost of living than they do about being resistant to change, and I’m hopeful that that’ll happen again,” Azeem said.
Every April 1 on social media platforms, Azeem proposes that Cambridge become “MegaCambridge” by absorbing Boston. Last year, he put up billboards advertising the idea, and this year, he introduced a formal resolution at the City Council. It’s an April Fool’s joke, he said, but the message behind it — that cities should think and function more as a broader region instead of individual municipalities — is serious.
April 3, 2025 — Andrew BrinkerEvery April 1 on social media platforms, Azeem proposes that Cambridge become “MegaCambridge” by absorbing Boston. Last year, he put up billboards advertising the idea, and this year, he introduced a formal resolution at the City Council. It’s an April Fool’s joke, he said, but the message behind it — that cities should think and function more as a broader region instead of individual municipalities — is serious.
In Azeem’s first month on the job, he moved to revive a policy order ending all minimum parking requirements for housing developments — ultimately leading to its passage in October 2022. Now, housing developments are no longer mandated to include a certain number of parking spaces, which Azeem says paved the way for more housing and decreased rents.
Oct. 25, 2023 — Samuel P. GoldstonIn Azeem’s first month on the job, he moved to revive a policy order ending all minimum parking requirements for housing developments — ultimately leading to its passage in October 2022. Now, housing developments are no longer mandated to include a certain number of parking spaces, which Azeem says paved the way for more housing and decreased rents.
“This is a moral issue,” said City Councilor Burhan Azeem, who proposed the amendments. “I understand that tall buildings are something that people are sensitive to, but this comes down to which should we care more about. How tall a building is? Or the people who don’t have stable housing?”
Oct. 15, 2023 — Andrew Brinker“This is a moral issue,” said City Councilor Burhan Azeem, who proposed the amendments. “I understand that tall buildings are something that people are sensitive to, but this comes down to which should we care more about. How tall a building is? Or the people who don’t have stable housing?”