Seaport Neighborhood - Infill and Discussion

[BronsonShore]

Although the CSX developers haven't taken advantage of this, I'd argue that the strict FAA limit in the Seaport as a contrast is a large part of why the latter is so much more urban than the former. I am by no means anti-tower, but I find that the best urbanism is consistently in places that do not have them, or at least where the towers serve as background, without interfering at the street level.

Right. Height has nothing to do with urbanity. And to the extent that many towers have terrible street presences by necessity, they can often be anti-urban. See, e.g, the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, which is about as anti-urban as any single building can possibly be. But here I am contributing to yet another "why can't Boston be taller!" digression...

 

[BronsonShore]

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.

It's becoming more and more pleasant each year. But world class? I'm not sure I'm giving that designation to a park that's surrounded by 6 lanes of traffic and is filled with highway ramps.

 

[BronsonShore]

I would add "Copley Square proximity" to that list. While standing in its middle, then turning around for a 360 it's Trinity Church, 200 Clarendon (with Trinity reflecting on its glass), the new Raffles, Copley Square Hotel, Westin, Boston Public Library, Old South Church (wow), and a block of building assemblage (good for contrast). The contrast in architectural styles and time periods are fascinating. True, the Copley Square redesign isn't anything to note, but it doesn't have to be. Just standing on it to look around is enough (with an ice cream).

A worthy inclusion for sure. Maybe even the library itself deserves inclusion. The inner courtyard never fails to blow away out-of-towners.

 

[Badusername]

It's becoming more and more pleasant each year. But world class? I'm not sure I'm giving that designation to a park that's surrounded by 6 lanes of traffic and is filled with highway ramps.

Yes it could become world class with a significant road diet and an actual continuous pathway with raised, shorter crossings at intersections.

 

[Charlie_mta]

It's becoming more and more pleasant each year. But world class? I'm not sure I'm giving that designation to a park that's surrounded by 6 lanes of traffic and is filled with highway ramps.

The ramps could be mitigated to an extant by mounding parkland and paths over most of the ramp footprints. Here are some plan-view concepts I came up with several years ago (showing before and after for each ramp site):

 

[RandomWalk]

Right. Height has nothing to do with urbanity. And to the extent that many towers have terrible street presences by necessity, they can often be anti-urban. See, e.g, the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, which is about as anti-urban as any single building can possibly be. But here I am contributing to yet another "why can't Boston be taller!" digression...

Zoning codes that traded public plazas for height don’t help the urbanism. Chicago’s early 20th century approach of offering unlimited height over a small portion of the site, and otherwise capping the height, led to a more consistent street wall.

The book Form Follows Finance is a good read on the history of the varied approaches across Chicago and NYC that led to their current codes.

 

[Stlin]

I'd say the Greenway is at least a world class case study on urban highway relocation. Also,

The ramps could be mitigated to an extant by mounding parkland and paths over most of the ramp footprints. Here are some plan-view concepts I came up with several years ago (showing before and after for each ramp site):

View attachment 75649

out of scope for this thread, but see below post to a link for the ca2015 BRA/MassDOT planning effort to improve the ramp parcels cover plan.
http://archboston.com/community/thr...ing-55-india-street-downtown.4853/post-509207