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It's a real shame. They have Gehl on the project--some of the most interesting urban designers in the world but it very much looks like a program packing exercise with some green edges. Until someone starts financing residential we are just stuck in this ridiculous loop of building giant lab...

That said, I don't think the public perception will change. There was an article in the Globe today full of community activists comments where they clearly think that the BRA is some kind of rogue agency that does whatever it wants. It's hard to understand how a city government would allow that.

I don't think she necessarily understands how she's changed the dynamic. I appreciate the idea of making the planning department more accountable to city council. But it's always been the Mayors fiefdom--so when the mayor wants something (say no development in reedville or all the signs on top...

A super important thing to understand about Boston is that the BRA, BPDA do what the mayor tells them to. Period. Part of the role has always been to take the blame for decisions the Mayor made. Mayor Wu never understood this and views the now Planning Department as the enemy. But she also owns...

This is an interesting idea--it's also near existing sports complexes like the one at Roxbury Community college. Honestly, this makes way more sense than the White Stadium plan (IMO) I think the city thinks that with land they own they should be trying to correct issues that developers don't...

Totally--but it's a great location. Everett is drafting off of Boston and the impacts on Boston will be primarily negitive (traffic) while Everett benifits from the $. It's a good example of why we need regional planning

I give you the Dorchester Bay site--access to red line and 93

Happening: https://www.bostonplans.org/planning/planning-initiatives/roslindale-square

I think this is interesting but I'm also confused by the optics they are showing. Community-lead planning leads to the zoning we have from the 1980s--zoning that prevents development. We know that community is almost always against change and growth. So how does community-lead rezoning become...

Nice to see it going back to hotel--we need those rooms

It's so funny that Mayor Wu has said so much about accountability while she (like every other Mayor in history) is also doing her own planning and budgeting around things like White Stadium. The only difference is now she is holding the bag, when in the past the Mayor could always blame the...

I wouldn't describe them as brutalist, which pretty much requires exposed concrete. They are the international style that was popular in the middle of the last century. It can be done well but, all too often as in this case, was just a building stripped down to the bare essentials.

I believe the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture is always asking for rehearsal space but it's usually permanent. The idea of temporary as spaces aren't being used is a good one.

Payette did the recent Klarmon Building at BIDMC and I suspect this will be more of the same. Which is good hospital design. Their lab stuff at NU is really outstanding but I don't think hospitals lend themselves to the exuberant architecture budget.

I'll push back on this. Notice that three year gap? That's NU reconsidering the project and coming in with a different one. This is a developer financed project and this is clearly a VE exercise. They've taken all of the classroom space out, rationalized the floor plates as much as possible, and...

Mods please merge with ISQ3 | 22 Drydock | Seaport

That's 24 Drydock. 22 has been demoed

Not to be confused with Boston's PDA, Planned Development Areas

The public realm on this one is really not great either. I like maintain street wall but some relieve would have been good. There should also be an entry to the Green Line in this building but it's across the street on the site of the Landmarked Arlington Street Church.

There are things a city government can't do that an quasi-governmental agency can (easily buy property is one of them). This is something anyone who understands government and the Federal redevelopment programs understands. And it is one of the (many) flaws in the white paper. Just to be clear...