Recent content by JeffDowntown

Inclusion is important in affordable housing programs because it breaks down economic and racial segregation while connecting lower-income residents to high-opportunity neighborhoods. It reverses historical exclusionary zoning, and helps prevent pockets of concentrated poverty. Mixed income...

I would also argue that the Rose Kennedy Greenway is developing into a world class location. I have seen visitors absolutely marvel at the long stretch of park snaking through the core of the city, particularly when realizing the alternative option that is underneath.

Some of the old stations, like the extension area at State Blue Line, do not have a few feet from the platform edge available when busy.

I have a different take (to each his own). I like the texture the juxtaposition brings (and it looks better in a wider context as seen above). Smooth it all over and it would feel overly fussy and polished. It is, after all, a warehouse conversion.

All we need now are alternating Cybertrucks and Cybercabs in each window.

The modern security mindset tends to go more for heavier, movable bollards to block access (costly, harder to use and maintain). The concern is a mass casualty event caused by a large vehicle purposefully taking out a crowd on the street.

The wastewater discharge from Deer Island would need a lot more treatment to become safe drinking water. The technology exists, but the cost per gallon of water is high compared with the cost of maintaining a controlled watershed like Quabbin. Drinking water reclaimed from wastewater is...

One article I read said that 2024 soil testing told them there was asbestos buried on the site. I think the surprise is that they did not plan the abatement into their schedule based on that info.

Lowest "qualified" bidder is supposed to do that as well. But the qualifications have to be strict enough, and actually evaluated in the bidding process.

Because this is Boston, you have to process these slowly. This discussion is about Copley Square, which is also considered a park and a plaza. But it is not Copley Plaza, which is a hotel, which happens to be located on Copley Square, which is not a square, it is a triangle shaped place. But...

Sasaki, who did the new design, describes Copley Square as both a park and a plaza. A big reason why everyone is arguing about the use of the space is that it is a very small park, 2.4 acres, that is mostly a plaza, as Sasaki explains...

Also tailgating is a big part of football culture in America. So unless you allocate even more valuable urban space to parking lots, you cut off that aspect as well in the urban location.

It "might" be a lot cheaper than mining deep stations -- depending on the success of underpinning century old infrastructure right over the proposed new stations. Or it might lead to the closure of multiple other lines for several years of repairs. Big roll of the dice.

It also sounds like they are being very optimistic about the ability to tunnel directly under existing century old tunnels and stations without causing damage, by using the ground freezing techniques. The reason the design went very deep along 125th Street is because shallow conditions for...

One can implement a rotary with traffic lights included, to stop flow for other modes. It is done in the UK pretty often at heavy flow roundabouts.