Copley Square Revamp | Back Bay

chrisbrat said:
I dunno how "visionary" you'd need to be to look at/reference the abundance of centuries-old, consistently popular and successful plazas throughout Europe (and elsewhere) and just do the same goddamn thing here.

None of this is complex math.
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The answer is US subservience to auto-centric thinking. Most, maybe all great plazas have buildings enclosing them on the actual plaza, not across the street from the plaza. We don't do it that way here, no matter how much we might otherwise be able to borrow from the countless examples.

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I really should read the replies before replying myself, as @JeffDowntown already covered this point in the very next post after what I quoted.
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HenryAlan said:
Conceptually, it's very similar, but the pedestrian paths are reoriented as corner to corner routes, or corner to church, which are far more natural and desirable.
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Also, the plaza fronting Trinity Church has been swapped with the grass fronting Dartmouth which I think is a great move. Grass fronting the church allows for passive use while a plaza at Dartmouth and an eventual extension to BPL is a much more natural use of the entire space.

The raised grove area under the existing trees is also a much more attractive setting for lingering than anything that existed there before.
 
Charlie_mta said:
Well, when you fill a room with chimpanzees and typewriters, you won't be getting Shakespeare out of them.
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Precisely. My post suggested "look[ing] at/referenec[ing]" those grand European plazas and squares -- not just *saying* you were inspired by them. City Hall Plaza has never been remotely like its Italian, Spanish, French, etc. counterparts, regardless of the alleged intentions of the designers. Taylor Swift can *say* she's deeply inspired by Dylan; it doesn't make her music sound remotely like him.
 
I will be happy if they just don't include hardscape that is susceptible to the freeze/thaw cycle: brownstone, slate, loose bricks, high-maintenance decorative paving, or anything else that will require a lot of time and effort to keep it looking clean and tidy. I do fear for the trees, however. The renderings show them poking out of holes in the pavement that appear too small for their growing girth. I presume some kind of tricky drainage technique has been used to keep them watered. And I hope the fountain pool is impossible for anyone to enter and easy to clean out debris, without having to put up steel barriers, as with the infamous City Hall plaza slide. Simple is always better; that's one reason why European plazas are so successful.
 
Life Coach Mike said:
I will be happy if they just don't include hardscape that is susceptible to the freeze/thaw cycle: brownstone, slate, loose bricks, high-maintenance decorative paving, or anything else that will require a lot of time and effort to keep it looking clean and tidy. I do fear for the trees, however. The renderings show them poking out of holes in the pavement that appear too small for their growing girth. I presume some kind of tricky drainage technique has been used to keep them watered. And I hope the fountain pool is impossible for anyone to enter and easy to clean out debris, without having to put up steel barriers, as with the infamous City Hall plaza slide. Simple is always better; that's one reason why European plazas are so successful.
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Are you calling for asphalt?
 
Life Coach Mike said:
I will be happy if they just don't include hardscape that is susceptible to the freeze/thaw cycle: brownstone, slate, loose bricks, high-maintenance decorative paving, or anything else that will require a lot of time and effort to keep it looking clean and tidy. I do fear for the trees, however. The renderings show them poking out of holes in the pavement that appear too small for their growing girth. I presume some kind of tricky drainage technique has been used to keep them watered. And I hope the fountain pool is impossible for anyone to enter and easy to clean out debris, without having to put up steel barriers, as with the infamous City Hall plaza slide. Simple is always better; that's one reason why European plazas are so successful.
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A lot of those European plazas are also successful because they are at the confluence of the respective city's social, cultural, and civic activities. I would liken Downtown Crossing to this. Copley "Square" on the other hand, is by nature a destination and deserves a heightened level of design consideration.
 
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From last night 11/25/23
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king_vibe said:
Are you calling for asphalt?
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Of course not. Did you notice how much digging out and replacement of the decorative paving took place? Expensive labor and materials to replace broken shale. Paving stones made of sandstone or granite would suffice....and thick enough so that they won't crack, such as with the sidewalk in front of the Johnson building behind Trinity (not to mention the constant replacement of trees that kept dying).
 
Weird they are saving those crappy trees. They aren't on the plans. Maybe move them as part of the reno?
 
johnmcboston said:
Weird they are saving those crappy trees. They aren't on the plans. Maybe move them as part of the reno?
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Trying to save the trees is probably some stupid budget item. Semi-mature trees for transplant are very expensive.

They will likely end up killings the trees anyway, but likely they were forced to put on the show of trying to save and move them.
 
JeffDowntown said:
They will likely end up killings the trees anyway, but likely they were forced to put on the show of trying to save and move them.
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A few years ago they admitted that the reason the existing trees kept dying is they didn't have room for the root systems, so they wouldn't replant any trees until a full park reno. Now I'm curious how those 'saved' trees will survive unless they're doing work next to them to help the root systems...
 
Doesn't look like much visible progress. Anyone know when this is supposed to be done? It would be a shame if it will be closed all summer.
 
(Sad trombone)

Looking like December 2024

www.boston.gov

Improvements to Copley Square Park

CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: Renovations to Copley Square Park started on July 20, 2023. We expect this project will take 16 months, and will be reopened in December 2024. Construction updates are listed below on this page, in the "related documents" section.
www.boston.gov www.boston.gov
 
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