Mayor Marty Walsh's administration asked residents in late 2015 to help it prioritize the focus of Boston's first citywide growth plan in 50 years, called Imagine Boston 2030. Residents responded that the plan should focus on developing less-expensive housing, creating better public transit, and making quality education more widely available.
Based on this feedback, the administration has now identified four neighborhood-centric priorities for its plan:
- provide quality of life in accessible neighborhoods
- drive inclusive economic growth
- promote a healthy environment and adapt to climate change
- invest in infrastructure, open space, and culture
Now Bostonians can give feedback of the more specific sort, particularly through a new city website that startup coUrbanize is running. It lets residents pinpoint exactly where they want to see change, and it's already hoovering up suggestions. To wit:
- "Getting to the Seaport area by public transportation is trying. The only line that gets there is the silver line, which can be infrequent and hard to get to itself. With the Children's museum, ICA around the area and new restaurants and bars, better public transportation would make this area more accessible."
- "Fort Point needs a grocery store - an actual grocery store. Given how many people have moved here recently, it would be great to have one within walking distance for residents."
- "It would be awesome if there was a way to walk or bike from East Boston to downtown. Also the plans I have seen for the Blue Line becoming redundant to the D line seemed very smart. I would appreciate more bus routes that took you from Eastie to Cambridge."
There are also suggestion boxes about town, and the city will host community forums. The whole process could produce some more particularly momentous decisions about the shape of Boston for generations. Sound off?
- Website: Imagine Boston 2030 [City of Boston]
- Boston's Physical Landscape: Four Huge Decisions That Shaped It [Curbed Boston]
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