Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030

[FitchburgLine]

So I wonder if the city still thinks that housing 700,000 by 2030 is the right target. Boston has grown significantly faster than the city's planning estimates anticipated. I think we all know that the population is already above 700,000, 11 months after this census estimate, so what does that mean for housing plans?

They revised to a new goal (69k units to accommodate 760k by 2030) last year, but at this point growth is running faster than the new target. I'd prefer a much more aggressive goal that would put us on pace to reach peak population mid-next decade, because more people living here is good, but that requires more pro-development policy than the city has been willing to do.

 

[HenryAlan]

Using the past 5 years average, we'll be at 760K by 2026, and about 810K in 2030.

 

[Rover]

Several of us out here have been sounding the alarm that city planning is way under where it needs to be based on current projections. . City needs to maximize housing units in the remaining large parcels of Suffolk Downs, Widett Circle, Beacon Rail Yards, etc. No soccer stadiums or other such BS.

I do give Cambridge credit. I commute to Alewife every day and they are building about as much as they can in West Cambridge to meet demand so good for them. Quibble with building design and cladding all you'd like but they have the right idea and have ramped up production accordingly.

 

[DZH22]

I do give Cambridge credit. I commute to Alewife every day and they are building about as much as they can in West Cambridge to meet demand so good for them. Quibble with building design and cladding all you'd like but they have the right idea and have ramped up production accordingly.

The area desperately needs another outlet onto Route 2 West. Since they likely need to expand Alewife's parking as well, a novel idea would be an exit ramp directly from an upper floor of the garage onto 2 West.

They also need to figure out a better way to get people across the street, especially by the rotaries. Constant crosswalk signals grind the rotary traffic to a halt and, combined with the lack of another outlet onto 2, cause severe gridlock on and around Alewife Brook Parkway.

 

[sneijder]

The area desperately needs another outlet onto Route 2 West. Since they likely need to expand Alewife's parking as well, a novel idea would be an exit ramp directly from an upper floor of the garage onto 2 West.

They also need to figure out a better way to get people across the street, especially by the rotaries. Constant crosswalk signals grind the rotary traffic to a halt and, combined with the lack of another outlet onto 2, cause severe gridlock on and around Alewife Brook Parkway.

Would some sort of flying junction (like Storrow fenway ramps) work for this area?

 

[dshoost88]

New population estimates are out and they have Boston at 685,000 as of July 2017. So is the city still sticking with 700,000 by 2030? We are likely to hit that by 2020.

Right. If planning is predicated on 700,000, we'll be significantly pushing infrastructure even if we do everything contained in the various 2030 plans. If we are at 800K to 850K, we will need to already be well on our way with regional rail implementation.

From Wikipedia:

2010 - 617,594
2017 - 687,584

+69,990 in 7 years or about 10,000 per year. Extrapolating the same number of people per year:

2020 - 717,000
2030 - 817,000

Taking it as a compounding percentage instead (no particular to do this, its as arbitrary as anything), it has been a 1.55% growth rate giving:

2020 - 720,000
2030 - 839,000

Dang.

Census figures for July 2018 muni pop are out. Boston estimated at 694k, Cambridge at 119k (around 1,700 residents away from the all-time high in 1950).

Several of us out here have been sounding the alarm that city planning is way under where it needs to be based on current projections. . City needs to maximize housing units in the remaining large parcels of Suffolk Downs, Widett Circle, Beacon Rail Yards, etc. No soccer stadiums or other such BS.

^^ Yup.

I wrote about this in a letter to the Globe almost a year ago. I stand by my math.

Since then, the Walsh administration revised their housing goal to 69,000 new units through 2030 and a regional agreement among mayors was reached to construct 180,000+... all are good progress, but demonstrably reactive instead of proactive. Policymakers need to be more prudent in the guidance presented by the experts.

 

[odurandina]

Boston has topped 700,000.

Probably a few thousand over.

 

[George_Apley]

I do give Cambridge credit. I commute to Alewife every day and they are building about as much as they can in West Cambridge to meet demand so good for them. Quibble with building design and cladding all you'd like but they have the right idea and have ramped up production accordingly.

I don't. They're allowing housing development, which is good. But their master plan (such that it exists) for Cambridge Highlands is a disaster for infrastructure connections...

 

[bakgwailo]

Several of us out here have been sounding the alarm that city planning is way under where it needs to be based on current projections. . City needs to maximize housing units in the remaining large parcels of Suffolk Downs, Widett Circle, Beacon Rail Yards, etc. No soccer stadiums or other such BS.

Eh, we can support things like a Soccer stadium (or other cultural/entertainment venues) while still building enough housing.