MARYANN GILLIAN SUYDAM
is regional senior vice president of Equity Office in Boston’s and president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
It’s a demographic fact. Across the country, people are moving back to the cities and toward the sea. This movement is great news for the future preservation of our cities for several reasons, including a hopeful end to sprawl, the replacement of brownfields with housing and parks, enhanced public access at the water’s edge, greater focus on environmental concerns and a greater density near existing transportation and services.
In Boston, this trend is happening more frequently, adding to the preservation and vitality of the city. Over the last two decades, we have invested nearly $20 billion in the harbor cleanup, the Central Artery Project, the new convention center, etc. This investment will prove well worth it as we see the transformation of blue (smart and environmentally conscious investment in the waterfront) into green (jobs, new tax revenue, housing and economic growth).
From a development perspective, there are unique challenges to building at the water’s edge. In addition to the obvious issues of environmental impact, there is a different community dynamic that is unlike that of any other part of the city. There is a sense that the waterfront belongs to everyoneand rightly so. After all, the image of Boston’s skyline from the harbor defines the city and, of course, all Bostonians are being reconnected with the waterfront as the barrier that was the elevated Central Artery disappears.
The renaissance of Boston’s waterfront is no accident. Mayor Menino and the most recent generation of planners and redevelopment officials have led the way, cooperating with state leaders and our congressional delegation to create a powerful combination of resources that are changing the city of Boston for the better. Thanks to public and private investment, we now have the resources to build new housing, retail and office space, restaurants and hotels.
The fact is, public investment in clean water and transportation adds value to our region, which is reflected in more opportunity for growth. There was something visionary about Norman Leventhal, Ed Sidman and the many others who championed the harbor cleanup movement. The harbor was then the national symbol of pollution. Now the fruits of that labor and vision are obvious. Today, all you have to do is take a walk along the Fort Point Channel, or look out over the city from an upper story of any downtown building, to see the evolution.
Still, we must remain vigilant, and the responsibility for nurturing and completing the process falls to all of us in both the public and private sectors.
The Friends of the Fort Point Channel is a successful example of public and private interests working together to enhance the city’s waterfront. Comprised of landowners, harbor and environmental protection organizations and other public interest groups, the FFPC works diligently to provide residents and employees the opportunity to enjoy the unique qualities of the harbor, access to the water’s edge and creative programming and public events along the Fort Point Channel.
The guiding vision of The FFPC is to promote historical, recreational, cultural, environmental and community use of the channel that ultimately will result in economic revitalization and growth. We need more partnerships and more action like this to continue the evolving vision of our downtown waterfront.
We are fortunate to have a harbor that is re-emerging as the focal point and identity of our city. That’s why it can be said that blue is the color of money, and of our city’s future. Here in Boston, we now are way ahead of the curve and should invite other cities to follow our lead.
