@Teban54 was a little faster on the draw for posting, but I too used the occasion of the contest to make a couple of GLR-related maps.
The first is a system diagram, intending to evoke the iconic Cambridge Seven spider map -- but now the spider has a web, if you will. The folder the file lived in was called "
Project Electric Sheep" (since the contest was called "Transportation Dreams", and androids dream of electric sheep, etc etc):
(The submitted version was slightly different from this one, but I'm not super concerned.)
This diagram is, in some ways, meant to be "fun" (in a way that crayon maps are supposed to be). There isn't a specific date tied to this map, and it neither represents a "preferred build" nor a "full build" nor a "must build". Rather, it's a vision of one possible future.
Teban54 and I chatted about our maps as we planned them, and so I decided to make this diagram larger in scope than his, meaning it includes full-out Urban Ring services, a T7/T111 BRT line, a Franklin Park LRT line, and numerous plus-one heavy rail extensions. I'll probably post more about this particular diagram in either Crazy Transit Pitches and/or Fantasy T Maps (
Fantasy T Maps post here), because in some ways that's more of the spirit of this diagram: while it does absolutely represent what the system-wide impact of GLR can be, it is also, tonally, a fantasy map at heart. And I'm fine with that -- imagination is a key part of planning.
That being said, as we have hashed out in great detail, everything on this map should be feasible. The only areas of particular question are the G's subway/viaduct/something along I-93 (north of the BU Medical Center stop), and the Franklin Park LRT; in general, I
think the G should be feasible, but it definitely still needs more refinement as a proposal; the Franklin Park LRT should be feasible from an engineering perspective, but I think there are real political questions about whether such a line is desired or desirable by the community. (I included it in part because I did want to visualize some sort of enhancement for Dorchester -- try to give all communities a share of the fantasy.)
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With a fantasy map in one hand, I wanted to also create something more "brass tacks" for the Green Line Reconfiguration, in particular the key projects needed in the core to make a map like mine or Teban54's possible. I wanted something that was simple, clear, and as marketable as I could make it -- something that I could imagine the Boston Globe printing. And to that end, I wanted a simple name. Which brings us to: the
Gold Line.
The map largely speaks for itself (with such ample annotations I admit that it pushes the definition of "map").
One benefit in particular for me about this process was that it allowed me to really hone in on the most specific things I would advocate for. In this case, and largely in this order: 1) Reroute E to Tremont, 2 and 3) Build the subway to Seaport, and Bury the E, and 4) D-E Connector.
If I had 5 minutes with Maura Healey, that is the vision I would sell her on.
One of the things that finally "clicked" for me about these core pieces is that it's about
allowing the existing infrastructure to live up to its full potential. The point of the subway to the Seaport isn't about building a connector between South Station and Back Bay -- it's about using this perfectly good subway
in the Seaport for way more than we do now. Likewise with the Tremont Street Subway and the Boylston Street Subway -- these focused projects allow those existing pieces to sing, running at their best.
That's why I believe these projects punch above their weight; they aren't merely extensions, but also supercharge the pieces we already have.
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I want to be very clear that I see my maps very much as sibling pieces to Teban54's. My Gold Line map very deliberately simplifies things. We
need a simple version of this if we want it to go anywhere. His map provides a detailed buildout that illustrates both the logistic details as well as some of the broader possibilities -- we need that too. And then I see my "Electric Sheep" map as something that is fun to look at, factually illustrative of one universe of possibilities, and maybe a point of inspiration; maybe we don't, strictly speaking, "need" this, but I certainly like having it.
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I also want to share that I have added a
new section on my website. In some ways, this was my approach to adding the detail that Teban54 put directly into the map. But in case, this is where, in the coming weeks and months, I plan to continue to build out consolidated proposals for each section of the Green Line Reconfiguration. I'm of course happy to take contributions (with credit!) from anyone who would like to create something.
I'm super excited that this contest is affording us a potential opportunity to bring the GLR vision to a wider audience. I see these maps as a first step, with hopefully more to come.
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Finally: I also want to share that I cited and thanked ArchBoston heavily in my technical statements that accompanied these submissions. Those statements read, in part:
Over the last decade, an ongoing discussion on ArchBoston has examined ways to remake the Green Line into a better version of itself. These discussions have been wide-ranging, at times ruthless in pragmatism, and equally unbound in imagination....
Drawing heavily on discussions I’ve participated in on ArchBoston, I have sought to generate a vision for Boston transit that is both inspiring and feasible. ...
and
This map would not have been possible without the years of collaborative discussion at ArchBoston. Much of my thought process in developing this map is documented there, and some proposals are also documented on my website (ever a work in progress).
This project has literally been a decade in the making. And you all made it happen. That is incredibly cool. Thank you.
