Topic: City Planning
City planning and design, built environments, urban planners, parks, roads
Rebranded as an “Innovation District” and filled with new glass and steel towers, the Seaport has become a financial asset to the city. Yet, the neighborhood is highly racially and economically segregated. And what happens when sea level rise puts Boston’s most expensive neighborhood underwater?
Le Corbusier: Building Towers in the Park Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was one of the most influential figures in the international style of 20th century urban design. His monolithic concrete structures left their mark across the world. Like the crow, the bird that gave him his name, Le Corbusier scavenged from diverse inspirations to create a…
Redeveloping The Seaport, Part 1: Warehouse and Rail to Innovation District Boston’s newest neighborhood sprung up from a rail and wharf district along the South Boston Waterfront. After decades as a sparsely populated industrial and fishing district, the Seaport has quickly become a destination for business, luxury condos, and tourists. How did this rapid change…
Roosevelt Island: An Urban Planning Experiment in NYC’s East River Roosevelt Island has had many names and purposes since Europeans first began to settle New York City. After centuries as an isolated island for inmates, hospital patients, and impoverished New Yorkers, Roosevelt Island underwent a makeover in the late 20th century. It became a mixed…
The Salem Downtown Renewal Plan: Part 2, Changing Times, Embracing Preservation By the 1970s, opponents of the Salem Redevelopment Authority had made their voices heard. As the national attitude towards urban renewal changed, Salem was an early adopter of a new strategy. Rehabilitation, preservation, and creating a city identity became important pieces of a new,…
The Salem Downtown Renewal Plan: Part 1, A Close Call with Destruction In the 1960s, historic downtown Salem faced the wrecking ball. With changing economic conditions and a belief in demolition before renovation, 82% of downtown was under scrutiny. However, thanks to grassroots activism and a few well placed allies in the public eye, Salem…
Urban Renewal, Highways, and the West End: The Federal-Aid Highway Act at 70 The 1956 federal act which created the modern Interstate Highway System turns 70 this year. Highway construction, like urban renewal, disproportionately affected low income and minority communities. However, highways have not always seen the same criticism as urban renewal. This article considers…
Kendall Square: Urban Renewal to the World’s “Most Innovative Square Mile” The West End’s neighbor across the Charles River, Kendall Square, was designated an urban renewal project area. However, as federal involvement evaporated in the late 1960s, plans for a NASA compound would have to change. MIT stepped in to fill the urban renewal void.…
