Dispute Over Surface Artery Design

Planners and design organizations are criticizing "the lack of vision" in the design for the Wharf District section of the Surface Artery in Boston.

1 minute read

July 25, 2003, 6:00 AM PDT

By Connie Chung


EDAW, a design firm, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority have come under fire from city officials, planners, designers and some members of the community, for their "lackluster design ideas for a prime piece of the new Surface Artery." Boston's chief planner "charged that city officials were being shut out of the important park's design process and said authority officials are failing to coordinate work with the other two areas: the North End and the Chinatown/Leather districts." City officials "have never liked the broad control the Turnpike Authority has exercised over the design of 30 acres of land the city eventually expects to control. Years of efforts to determine who will own, maintain, and control the space, to be known as the Rose Kennedy Greenway, have failed, leaving the Turnpike Authority in control, by default."

Thanks to Connie Chung

Thursday, July 24, 2003 in The Boston Globe

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

View of Austin, Texas skyline with river in foreground during morning golden hour.

The Paradox of American Housing

How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.

March 26, 2024 - The Atlantic

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Aerial view of high-rise buildings on waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Moves Zoning Reform Forward

The ‘Squares + Streets’ plan creates form-based zoning templates for neighborhoods that promote mixed use and denser housing near transit.

9 minutes ago - The National Law Review

Aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska downtown with mountains in background at golden hour.

Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan

Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.

March 28 - Anchorage Daily News

Young man in wheelchair crossing zebra crosswalk.

How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities

Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.

March 28 - Governing

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.