Considering The Seaport In Imagine Boston 2030 Plan
On a walking tour of the Seaport District last month, residential brokers marveled at the concentration of new office buildings dotting the waterfront. Until recently, residential construction lagged behind commercial development, and only now is picking up at a pace...A New Look For An Old City
A decade ago, a standard Boston waterfront project would provide a 10-foot-wide HarborWalk segment with benches, trash receptacles, lighting and generous amounts of parking as part of its public amenities. Today, the responses of waterfront developers to state and...Boston Mayor Launches City-Wide Re-envisioning Campaign
Last month, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh launched “Imagine Boston 2030,” a city-wide planning process encompassing all of Boston’s neighborhoods. Fifty years since Boston’s last master plan, Imagine Boston 2030 will be a multi-year initiative involving residents to help...At Kennedy’s Dedication, Taking Stock Of Columbia Point
The continuing transformation of Dorchester’s waterfront was highlighted during the recent dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, the country’s most innovative center devoted to public service and the role of the U.S. Senate in government....A Boatload Of Opportunities
Visitors to Boston, a waterfront city, are often surprised by our limited water transportation options. Year-round scheduled water transportation links Boston with the South Shore communities of Hingham and Hull; within the Inner Harbor, residents, workers and visitors travel by scheduled water shuttle between Long Wharf and the Charlestown Navy Yard, or by on-demand water taxi.
Boston And New York Get Together On City-Wide Issues
Earlier this fall, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and 50 business and civic leaders visited New York City to learn and share best practices on issues affecting Greater Boston. While everyone had been to New York numerous times before, the collective “City-to-City†experience suggested a number of considerations as Boston moves forward with new development opportunities.
Proposed Developments Offer Opportunities To Reshape Waterfront
For the past year and a half, the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan Advisory Committee has been meeting to provide guidance to the Boston Redevelopment Authority on a Municipal Harbor Plan for the area from Hook Lobster to the Marriott Long Wharf.
Climate Change Action Plan Under Review
Later this year, following public comments and review by a steering committee of business, government and community leaders, the city of Boston will issue its 2014 Climate Change Action Plan Update, Boston’s blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming, while ensuring preparedness for the unavoidable impacts of climate change and potential sea level rise.
On The Dot
Anyone looking for the next neighborhood renaissance along Boston Harbor needs to look no further than Dorchester. Implementation of UMass Boston’s 25-year master plan is helping to transform the university into a “cutting edge, sustainable and attractive environment†for “an urban public research center of the 21st century.â€
The Boat To South Boston
The need for more transportation options to accommodate the growing number of South Boston residents and workers became clear at a meeting of the area’s stakeholders earlier this month. In response to that need, the city of Boston, Massachusetts Port Authority, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and A Better City are jointly working on the development of a transportation plan to service the expanding needs of the South Boston waterfront area.
Keep Boston’s Innovation District Innovative
As Boston Mayor Martin Walsh looks to expand employment opportunities and to better define land uses throughout the city, there is a unique opportunity to complement activities in the Innovation District with those in the Boston Marine Industrial Park.
In Preparing For Climate Change, Some Creative Ideas For Walsh
As the Walsh administration begins to identify short- and long-term priorities, it is clear that climate change adaptation will need to be a part of Boston’s on-going efforts to ensure a resilient city in the face of rising sea levels and more frequent storm surges.
Gentrification Has Hit The Waterfront: What Next?
Earlier this month, several organizations, including The Boston Harbor Association, were invited by a philanthropic foundation to come and discuss the long term future of Boston’s waterfront. The conversation was rich and deep, with the speakers flagging some discernible trends which may shape the waterfront in the immediate future.
Passing On The Waterfront Torch
When incoming Mayor Marty Walsh takes office in January, he will be inheriting a booming Boston waterfront made possible thanks to the efforts of outgoing Mayor Tom Menino and his administration.
Strong Port Needed For Strong Waterfront
The Port of Boston, New England’s largest port handling more than 20 million tons of cargo annually, is facing global and local challenges.
Unified Transportation Plan Key To Waterfront Development
As development projects continue to be permitted and constructed on or near Boston’s waterfront, concerns about traffic and transportation have intensified. Providing good transportation access to and from the waterfront is key to supporting new development. This first came to broad public attention in 2000 when state Environmental Secretary Bob Durand convened a South Boston Transportation Summit. In his December 2000 decision on the South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan, Secretary Durand established some key principles for review of new waterfront projects:
Waterfront Development Lessons Can Be Applied Elsewhere
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s vision for a revitalized South Boston waterfront is largely coming to fruition, with thousands of Vertex Pharmaceuticals employees soon moving into two new buildings on Fan Pier, and thousands moving into State Street Financial’s new office complex on A Street. Nearby, workers are finishing exterior work on more than 200 luxury apartments and retail spaces at Waterside Place, with hundreds more apartments under construction on Pier 4, on A Street, Congress Street and Melcher Street.
What The Next Mayor Needs To Do
Earlier this month, a speaker’s program hosted by Equity Office for The Boston Harbor Association’s Emerging Professionals quickly turned into a productive mini-planning session when Boston Redevelopment Authority planner Chris Busch discussed and solicited suggestions for a downtown waterfront municipal harbor plan. Participants were very interested in the city’s vision for the waterfront area closest to the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, as well as future plans for South Boston’s Innovation District.
Out Of Tragedy, Celebrations Show City’s Resilience
Boston is unique in the variety of public celebrations and special events for all to enjoy. From the Fourth of July Boston Pops concert to the week-long Harborfest festivities to First Night Boston, these gatherings help to create a sense of community and provide “common ground.†Families and residents look forward to these annual events, which also attract significant numbers of out-of-town visitors.
