I'm getting frustrated.

[statler]

I was looking at the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods website.
Some of their Transportation writings are good and deserve our support.

However, when you get into the rest of the stuff, it is a horror show.

The predicted shadows on spring afternoons falling across the Shapiro Center plaza and across the fa?ade of the National Register listed former Massachusetts College of Art at 364 Brookline Avenue will obviously affect the use of the plaza space provided for the public as a benefit when Beth Israel Hospital obtained the building from the state.

I swear these people are reverse vampires. They must just shrivel up and die if they are not in constant sunlight.

The thing is, they are a large, active and obviously powerful organization. They attend meetings, they write letters. They are listened too.

I'd love to create a similar organization, except without all the hysteria about shadows, open space and big scary buildings. A group that would push for ground floor retail, quality materials, narrow streets and pedestrian oriented development. A group that would champion ablarc's 22 Theses.

We would even share some common goals with our friends at ABN. Mostly transportation and environmental issues. They could even help us with issues like the SC&L buildings.

Unfortunately, I just don't have the time nor resources to start something like this.

The bigger problem is, even if I could do it would it matter?

Are there really enough people in this city that care enough good urban design to fight for it? Are there enough people who agree about what good urban design is to work together?

As far as I know this board is the go-to place for these issues in Boston. And we have what? As of right now, 400 members on this board. And maybe 2 dozen of them are active.

So, can it done?

For now, I would encourage all Boston based members to join their local chapter of the ABN. Speak up. Let them know we are out there and we care. Assure them these issues are important and need to addressed by their organization. Don't antagonize, work with them. Explain your point of view and why you think it is important to take up these causes. You'll lose a lot more battles than you will win, but if you get them to champion even one thing on ablarc's list of 22 you've made a difference.


Personally I'm stuck outside the city so I'm no help. Hopefully that will change sooner than later.
I'll never say "I give up" because I care too much about this city for that.
But for now I'm stuck being a keyboard warrior who watches in frustration as the city he loves gets more and more suburbanized.

 

[Beton Brut]

I feel ya, statler. I'm a semi-regular at meetings in East Boston. The ABN's local affiliate organization is run by the person who wrote this.

If this guy has any sway on what gets built in my neighborhood, I may as well move to Chechnya.

 

[underground]

I'd love to create a similar organization, except without all the hysteria about shadows, open space and big scary buildings.

You don't need me to tell you that others on this board have proposed the same thing, a few people agree, and then the whole thing falls apart. What if this time we start small? What if we used Briv's new Calender as a sort of sign-up sheet to ensure that we send "our guys" to BRA meetings? We could even coordinate post meeting debriefs at a bar/coffee-shop?

I think the one reason to be optimistic is, no matter how much ABN claims to be a huge organization, it's mostly just Shirley Kressel and a few other people. Their influence doesn't come from a huge roster, but from the fact that they always show up to meetings, and they always write letters. The only thing they have on us is that they have an actual activist framework and we have a message board. I'm not saying we should start out trying to trump ABN, but let's give starting out small a try. Next Wednesday there's a meeting at the N Allston Library. Anyone want to go?

 

[palindrome]

I am down for going. I was originally interested in creating a group like this before it fell apart.

 

[palindrome]

I feel ya, statler. I'm a semi-regular at meetings in East Boston. The ABN's local affiliate organization is run by the person who wrote this.

If this guy has any sway on what gets built in my neighborhood, I may as well move to Chechnya.

LOL, if he really does, i will join you.

 

[Scott]

The most important thing anyone can do is to register, get informed and vote and then vote in EVERY election, no matter how small. The fact that so few people vote puts political power in the hands of the few.

 

[ablarc]

Smehow this thread escaped my notice.

Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods?they are a large, active and obviously powerful organization. They attend meetings, they write letters. They are listened to.

I'd love to create a similar organization, except without all the hysteria about shadows, open space and big scary buildings. A group that would push for ground floor retail, quality materials, narrow streets and pedestrian oriented development.

Send them a link to the thread and an invitation to join ArchBoston? Offer it to them as a soapbox to get some dialogue going? After all, we have Shirley Kressel as a member, and you might want to mention that. Also, we?ve had an impact on SC&L. Itchy, Beton Brut and briv have showed up at meetings.

(Maybe we could get more members to participate with incentives. ArchBoston t-shirts for participants? briv?)

We would even share some common goals with our friends at ABN.

This is the point to emphasize.

Unfortunately, I just don't have the time nor resources to start something like this.

We all have exactly the same amount of time: 168 hours per week.

Resources: I vaguely recall that there were contributions made to the old SkyscraperGuy forum. If active former each gave $20, we?d have several hundred bucks.

The bigger problem is, even if I could do it would it matter?

That depends entirely on what we make of it. OF COURSE, it can matter!

Are there really enough people in this city that care enough good urban design to fight for it? Are there enough people who agree about what good urban design is to work together?

The board has a good number.

As far as I know this board is the go-to place for these issues in Boston. And we have what? As of right now, 400 members on this board. And maybe 2 dozen of them are active.

That?s $500 at $20 each.

So, can it done?

You bet. Count me in. briv needs to set up a PayPal account.

But for now I'm stuck being a keyboard warrior who watches in frustration as the city he loves gets more and more suburbanized.

Thanks for the shot in the arm.

Sure hope this takes off.

 

[ablarc]

The most important thing anyone can do is to register, get informed and vote and then vote in EVERY election, no matter how small. The fact that so few people vote puts political power in the hands of the few.

I agree everyone should vote --and we should cover our mouths when sneezing.

Voting will have precious little effect on the quality of urban design in Boston, as all politicians (and the public) are about equally clueless.

Not one percent of the population grasps urban design issues as thoroughly as most folks who post here. And that includes some professional folks who work for the BRA, and probably all politicians.

Getting good design will happen when ad hoc and appointed citizen committees get truly educated about the issues. They often sound like they're operating at a kindergarten level of understanding.

It's just ignorance.

The issues are technical, and the decision makers are amateurs. Imagine if such amateurs had to make technical decisions on the next space shuttle design.

 

[czsz]

The biggest problem IMO is that we have design by committee somehow linked to the idea of "democracy" - as if self-interested local groups comprised of people with the most free time making decisions that will affect the rest of the city is any approximation of the political process for any other problem.

Then again, the electoral college pretty much creates the same issues...ethanol, anyone?

 

[ablarc]

The biggest problem IMO is that we have design by committee somehow linked to the idea of "democracy" -

That link is a widespread misconception. Really, it promotes mobocracy.