Back Bay is now officially a great neighborhood
It's official. Boston's Back Bay, a hotbed of splendid architecture and urban charm, is truly a great American neighborhood.
So decrees the American Planning Association, which has formally designated the Back Bay as one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010 under the organization’s Great Places in America program.
As Mayor Thomas M. Menino pointed out it a statement, the Back Bay's appeal has long been appreciated by locals who were never in doubt about the Back Bay's greatness.
“Residents and visitors have long recognized this great neighborhood as a gem in the City of Boston with its elegant streets, unique shops, great restaurants, and vintage homes," Menino said. "The Back Bay truly exemplifies the way in which residential and commercial communities can come together to create a vibrant blend of history and modernity.”
Was joy unconfined at the Back Bay's official designation as a great neighborhood? Maybe not. In a May column, the Globe's Brian McGrory noted that the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay had some misgivings. Apparently, some members were uneasy endorsing a development agenda that they thought was inappropriate, McGrory reported then.
No misgivings, though, could he heard in the statement of John F. Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the city's planning agency.
“The Back Bay epitomizes the characteristics that make ideal urban design, inspirational city planning and wonderful neighborhoods and as such I’m delighted to see that the APA has recognized it as a ‘Great Place in America’,” Palmieri said.
