A Boston Globe columnist comes down strongly in favor of a mixed-use project in a Boston suburb, and laments the obstacles facing smart growth in this and other, similar, communities.
Dante Ramos begins an op-ed with no uncertain terms in expressing a rational, pro-development ethos: "If a real estate project is thoughtfully designed and fulfills genuine public needs, it deserves to be approved. But in Massachusetts, faulting projects for their failure to achieve perfection is a time-honored way of blocking them."
The development in question would "replace a city-owned parking lot on Austin Street in Newtonville with a complex that would include 68 housing units, a public plaza, and ground-floor retail." Ramos also says the project "exemplifies the kind of smart growth that communities across Massachusetts should be pursuing."
Yet, mixed-use projects face an arduous process in Newton and other suburban communities, according to Ramos. In this case, the "proposal would require special permits from the Board of Aldermen because it’s taller, and has fewer parking spaces, than what zoning rules allow by right."
Ramos also responds to the case of the project opponents, which includes a member of the Board of Alderman who also happens to be the director of the state Sierra Club. The message to the project's detractors: "Blocking new development won’t preserve the status quo; it just guarantees, amid rising demand for housing, that the city will keep getting pricier."
FULL STORY: Newton should build on that parking lot
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
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
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.