An ambitious new transportation plan is yet another step in the transformation of South Boston from a gritty, blue-collar waterfront to one of the nation's most promising zones of innovation.
Five decades ago, the waterfront of South Boston reeked, and its economy was decidedly old-fashioned. Those longshoreman would hardly recognize the place now. "Southie" is now home to the gleaming Boston Convention Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and thousands of units of premium residential property. An estimated 17 million square feet of development is on the way.
The next set of jewels in South Boston's unlikely crown is outlined in a report that calls for the city to develop a new transportation plan for the area. Infrastructure that was designed to handle cargo ships cannot quite handle the influx of upscale residents and tech workers.
"The report advocates transportation suitable for an area forced to shoot up, not out. Some suggested transformations should be relatively easy to accomplish — Silver Line expansions, upgrades to pedestrian infrastructure and new bike facilities. Others sound far more ambitious: urban rail connections, ferry services across the water and even an internal transit route to serve only the district."
Though the report does not include specific proposals—and is not funded by a longshot—it attempts to think progressively about the city's growth and about what it will mean to build a 21st century neighborhood in the country's oldest major city.
FULL STORY: South Boston’s New Boomtown Gets an Ambitious Transportation Plan
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
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.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
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.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
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.