A chance to embrace change
CITIES GROW. Their inherent nature is to evolve and change. That process can be driven by the forces of the marketplace, by political or natural events -- the tearing down of the Berlin Wall is an example, Hurricane Katrina another.
Change can also happen with purpose, the result of a visionary "big idea." In the second half of the 19th century, Boston's leadership proposed filling the Back Bay. Seeded by new homes for secular and religious institutions -- the Museum of Natural History on Berkeley Street, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Boylston Street, Trinity Church in Copley Square -- residential, retail, and commercial development followed, and the treasured, mixed-use Back Bay neighborhood emerged.
In 1980, a parking lot existed where Rowes Wharf now stands; a
Now Boston has rediscovered its waterfront with hotels, residences, the Moakley Courthouse, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. The Greenway has repaired old wounds and reconnected streets and pedestrian paths. A wonderful HarborWalk ensures public access to the water. All these changes are the result of the vision, will, and planning of city leaders.
Mayor Thomas Menino's proposal to move City Hall to the South Boston waterfront is another big idea, and warrants serious scrutiny by urban planners, transportation engineers, experts in real estate economics, and others. Questions remain about access via public transit to a new City Hall, and there are practical constraints to building on the current City Hall site. Moving this civic icon to the waterfront mirrors the move by cultural, religious, and academic institutions to the Back Bay in the 19th century, and represents another leap forward in Boston's connection to its harbor.
At Government Center, meanwhile, the idea represents an unparalleled opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use environment in the core of a mature city. Imagine retail-lined streets connected to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market; hotels along the Freedom Trail, overlooking the Greenway and harbor, at the edge of the Common and close to the State House; residents activating Cambridge Street, the Sears Crescent, and Congress Street seven days a week; office workers in a revived precinct at the heart of downtown, adjacent to the Financial District. And imagine it all designed to the highest standards of sustainability.
This is a rare planning opportunity. Mayor Menino's proposal embodies Boston's tradition of evolution and visionary growth. It will inspire valuable discussion about appropriate densities, connecting patterns of use, and public access to government and history, shops and entertainment, parks and the harbor. Studying the concept closely will reveal the possibilities for a continued rebirth of the waterfront and a reinvented city core.
David P. Manfredi is a principal at Elkus Manfredi Architects. 