Boston's New Master Plan—Not Like the Old Master Plan

"When Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh proposed a new master plan two years ago, many might have expected the effort — dubbed Imagine Boston 2030 — to alter the very look of the city," writes Matthew Kiefer to begin a recent article for The Boston Globe.

Keifer finds that Boston's master planning process is "shaping up very differently." Specifically, Keifer points to the city's "extensive outreach" and an "engaging, jargon-free draft" released in November. The final product, expected soon, "captures aspirations not just for housing but education, energy, the environment, and the arts, it’s less a plan than a set of guiding principles for equitable growth."

According to Keifer, the new directions taken by the Imagine Boston 2030 plan is a result of a new era of planning—distinct from the "urban renewal" approach of the era that produced the city's last master plan in 1965. "Urban planning, as we once knew it, is over," declares Kiefer.