What happens to the ribbon of land being created by the depression of the Central Artery may be the most important development decision to face Boston in a generation.
A national panel of experts in governance, landscape architecture, and design offers recommendations on designing, building, and operating the Rose Kennedy Greenway. | Go
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A pair of public forums dubbed "Community Conversations" resulted in dozens of innovative ideas for the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Check out stories, photos, and the ideas themselves. | Go |
The Central Artery land weaves nearly continuously from Chinatown to North Station, but its two dozen individual parcels differ considerably in character and potential use. Here's a look. | Go |
Boston is unique, but the issues involved in reclaiming Central Artery land are not. A series of MIT case studies looks at lessons from similar projects around the world. | Go |
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Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello, right, and Fred Yalouris, chief of architecture for the Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel project, examine some of the ideas to come out of the May 11 Community Conversation, held at Boston English High School. (Marc Margulies photo)
More than 350 people took part in a pair of public events, called Creative Community Conversations, about the future of the parks that will be developed above and beyond the Big Dig.
Participants shared ideas for uses of the Big Dig parkland, drawing upon memories and experiences of urban open space that works, with special emphasis on what would keep them coming back again and again.
They then split into small groups and conducted planning exercises in which they developed scenarios for use of the parks. They were given three options for basing their scenarios:
Developing uses for various times of the day
Developing uses for different seasons
Developing uses that connect places and people
The scenarios had to stand three tests:
Did they encourage social engagement and help connect people?
Did they create a civic identity and engender civic pride?
Did they offer personal fulfillment and enrich people's lives?
The ideas generated were offered as guidance for designers and decision makers as they plan how to use the newly created parkland.
