Curbed Cup Elite Eight: (12) East Boston vs. (13) South End

And then there were eight—we’re down to the second round of the annual Curbed Cup to pick the Boston area’s neighborhood of the year.

Polls are open 24 hours for each matchup. Go.

(12) East Boston

Peyri Herrera/Flickr

East Boston is undergoing a spate of change, with development driving much of it.

Big new projects include the 200-unit Boston East apartment complex and the 478-unit Clippership Wharf development, the 80 condos in which sold out in eight weeks. There are also a number of smaller projects going up or planned.

The development helps explain why Eastie’s prices have marched steadily upward of late—a trend likely to continue should the neighborhood land Amazon’s second headquarters (which looks like a real possibility).

(13) South End

Jorge Salcedo/Flickr

The South End remains a desirable patch of the region beset by change that only seems to enhance its rep.

In 2017, several new projects in the neighborhood either got underway or were publicly vetted for the first time.

Not least of these was the proposal for the conversion of the old Boston Flower Exchange. Developer the Abbey Group wants to build nearly 1.6 million square feet of commercial, technology, life science research, and retail space on the 5.6-acre site as well as new parkland.

There are also plans to redevelop the long-vacant Hotel Alexandra building on Washington Street—perhaps into another hotel or maybe residences—and the unfolding Ink Block complex in the neighborhood’s upper reaches wants to add a 14-story co-living building.

Also, one of the region’s more unique condo conversions, the 33-unit Lucas on Shawmut Avenue, wrapped construction in 2017.

Oh, and the South End got Boston’s newest park—under an Interstate overpass.

• Blue Line development: Lots of construction along the Boston-Revere route [Curbed Boston]
• East Boston’s Slip65 sells out in under eight weeks [Curbed Boston]
• Boston’s best new building of 2017: Boston East [Curbed Boston]
• Boston Amazon HQ frontrunner along with Dallas, D.C.: Report [Curbed Boston]
• Suffolk Downs redevelopment could go one of two ways [Curbed Boston]
• Exchange South End: Details on the South End mega-project [Curbed Boston]
• South End’s old Hotel Alexandra to see new life after years of vacancy [Curbed Boston]
• Boston co-living tower proposed for South End’s Ink Block [Curbed Boston]
• South End’s Lucas wraps construction: From Gothic church to 33 condos [Curbed Boston]
• Underground at Ink Block, Boston’s newest park, opening under I-93 overpass [Curbed Boston]