Interfering with high-rise
RE: “BUILDING by numbers’’ by Edward L. Glaeser (oped, April 22). I wonder how anything gets done in Boston. A local developer with a track record of success buys the ugliest building on the Boston waterfront and offers to tear it down and replace it with an elegant new tower. Instead of being embraced for the employment and tax base expansion created by the project, the developer is forced to shoulder layers of unnecessary restrictions and assume arbitrary social costs unrelated to the project. Oh, and by the way, we’ll throw in the oft-repeated argument that separation of the Greenway from the waterfront and the long shadows cast by the project are reasons alone to oppose it.I’ve got news for you. The existing blocklong concrete parking garage already separates the Greenway from the waterfront. Have you been down there lately? Do you really prefer parking garages, panhandlers, convenience stores, doughnut shops, and overflowing trash barrels abutting the Greenway to new residences? Conveniently, there’s a 6-acre waterfront park 500 feet north of the existing garage with full access to the waterfront. And since the sun still rises in the east, it seems unlikely that long shadows cast by the project will negatively affect the Greenway during the part of the day when it is most populated.
SEAN F. FLAHERTY
Boston
Everything’s fine, thank you
RE: YOUR EDITORIAL “How to fix the Greenway.’’ The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is fine the way it is. Leave it alone. It doesn’t have to be a “magnet’’ for people, just a quiet place to walk among the greenery in the middle of Boston. It does not have to be a destination with multiple attractions. No! It is like a park path that can be enjoyed for that end and left anytime to see attractions on both sides. It doesn’t have to be “more beautiful’’ — it is beautiful. It is not a playground for children or performers. It should not be lined with stores and cafes. It needs to remain open space like it is.PIERRE BONIN
Boston
An opportunity to showcase Boston
“HOW TO fix the Greenway’’ includes some thought-provoking ideas that can immeasurably improve the appearance and utility of this area of Boston.The waterfront is a magnificent resource that should be integrated into the plan, not separated from it. High-rise buildings are antithetical to this purpose, would serve to exclude this vista, and would be the worst possible use for the Greenway.
Rather, there should be areas for concerts, playgrounds, and a bocci court, with benches provided in many strategic places along the way. The flora native to Boston should be displayed in profusion, with changes progressing as the seasons advance. Flowering trees should be prominent. There can also be a glassed-in terrarium, an outdoor restaurant, and a museum dedicated to the history of Boston. Finally, the plan should include keeping the grounds well tended and litter-free, with sufficient receptacles for trash. In short, let’s display Boston with pride and good taste.
EDWIN R. CHYTEN
Chestnut Hill 
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