As the fall semester concludes at schools across the state, data sourced from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health show a steeper rise in the number of new coronavirus cases per day than the number of new tests given per day. Yet some Boston residents said the reality of college students’ return beats the catastrophe they had expected.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Board of Directors approved an amendment Thursday that allows homeowners in Boston to designate parts of their home as separate, independent units for renters in an effort to combat Boston’s affordable housing crisis.