Yes, but there are still a couple of places where we can go very tall (quite a bit taller than the Hancock) and the Hynes is as prime a spot as it gets. Seeing as we're likely never going to move the airport, those last couple of parcels are the most critical ones to not give us more fat/squat pieces of crap. I mean, it's supposed to be a 2.3 million square foot project and we have another poster talking about it going 10 floors. That's absolutely f****** crazy. With these attitudes we'll end up with the Great Wall of Boston before we get a new tallest.
How Tall Are Boston's Buildings and Should They Be Taller?
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Yes, but there are still a couple of places where we can go very tall (quite a bit taller than the Hancock) and the Hynes is as prime a spot as it gets. Seeing as we're likely never going to move the airport, those last couple of parcels are the most critical ones to not give us more fat/squat pieces of crap. I mean, it's supposed to be a 2.3 million square foot project and we have another poster talking about it going 10 floors. That's absolutely f****** crazy. With these attitudes we'll end up with the Great Wall of Boston before we get a new tallest.
Enough with the “we” shit. You don’t live here. You’re free to opine as to what Boston should look like but stop acting as if you have skin in the game.
The Overton window shaping such a discourse may look very different come 2050, given that Logan and all of its immediately adjacent transit infrastructure are basically at sea level...
I have plenty of skin in the game. It's my favorite hobby. The construction of MT has made me permanently happier, 1 Dalton has made me permanently happier, etc etc etc. That's like saying the Red Sox winning shouldn't matter to anybody who doesn't live in Boston proper either.
I've heard a lot of dumb stuff this week but you never fail to lower the bar in that regard. You yourself have so little skin in the game that you moved overseas. Now that you're back with your tail between your legs, don't pretend like you still belong here. Go find another city and another forum to drag down with your shitty attitude. It's almost like you get paid to hop on here once a month and razz people up. "Oh, Boston is only for people who live in those 48 square miles!!!" You, ma'am, are the absolute worst. The worst of the worst of the worst, and I'm even including post 324 of this thread. The next constructive thing you say here will be the first constructive thing you say here.
BronsonShore
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Let me be clear: I would have absolutely no problem if a supernal gets built here. I would in fact be very excited by that!
But we don't need it and it's not something that Michelle Wu should expend any political capital on. She's a very promising mayor who can reshape this city's transportation and development systems for the better and create a more equitable, climate resilient city. So when people like @DZH22 come on here promising to "fight" Wu until we get a new mayor - when he doesn't live in Boston and only cares about tall buildings - I will call it out every time. It's an incredibly stupid political position to take, and one that's insulting to the people who actually live here and care about the 1,678 issues in the city that are all much more important than a a goddamn skyscraper.
Boston is a real place where people live, not a sculpture meant to be viewed from 20 miles away.
But we don't need it and it's not something that Michelle Wu should expend any political capital on. She's a very promising mayor who can reshape this city's transportation and development systems for the better and create a more equitable, climate resilient city. So when people like @DZH22 come on here promising to "fight" Wu until we get a new mayor - when he doesn't live in Boston and only cares about tall buildings - I will call it out every time. It's an incredibly stupid political position to take, and one that's insulting to the people who actually live here and care about the 1,678 issues in the city that are all much more important than a a goddamn skyscraper.
Boston is a real place where people live, not a sculpture meant to be viewed from 20 miles away.
I already told you I'm fighting for a good proposal, not a blanket "fighting the mayor across the board" statement. When you talk about "incredibly stupid" let's start with your reading comprehension skills.
Let's also mention that FROM WITHIN THE CITY ITSELF building a series of fat walls is detrimental to the overall aesthetic and feel when walking around. It's why everybody is cheering that the Government Center garage is coming down, because it created that type of oppressive barrier that we get too many of when we sacrifice height and make up for it with width.
Also, I have spent my life in the Boston metro, in close proximity, and thus it is my city. Just because I don't live within the limits at this particular time doesn't mean I don't have a stake. You're probably the same type of person who says the only people who should celebrate a Patriots' Super Bowl victory are the players and coaches, since the rest of us had nothing to do with it. It's the type of condescending attitude so prevalent with you progressive types today. You pretend to have some sort of moral superiority but honestly, you don't.
Oh yeah also, she's kind of the opposite of a promising mayor and we're going to see it play out over the next couple of years. She's as promising as Joe Biden, who has doubled gas prices, crashed my 401k, allowed even more people to die of Covid than under the last guy despite coming into office with 3 vaccines, and is causing the kind of inflation problems that hurt the middle class but absolutely decimate the working poor (note I said working). Oh and we're also on the cusp of World War 3, so there's that too. Here's a fun fact, I used to be a liberal too! Then by age 31 I had enough experience to see all the things that didn't work, and decided that those policies just weren't for me. What's so promising about Michelle, that she can use federal money to make 3 bus lines "free" for a while? That we'll have a greater percentage of "affordable" housing against a much lower percentage of actual housing built, which makes it all actually unaffordable? That she wants to bring back the proven failure of rent control? That she wants to cause absolute gridlock in the city by catering more to the (using the progressive bs against you now) "able bodied" people who are healthy enough to ride bikes everywhere, at the expense of the rest of us?
You sir are a clown, alright? An absolute clown. Let's go back to my first statement, which is that your reading comprehension skills fall between appallingly bad and appallingly bad. It's too bad our country has been dumbing-down the standards for so long or you probably wouldn't even have gotten your high school diploma. Why don't you crawl back into the hole you came from if you're going to act like a spoiled 2 year old and read like one too? Jumping down somebody's throat based on your own misguided interpretation of what they said is the complete opposite of civil discourse. I used to believe that everybody grew up eventually if they lived long enough, but the progressives have proven that isn't quite the case. Progressive ideas are a scourge on our society and progressives themselves have no respect for anybody with any other ideas (such as the ideals that this country was founded on). Why don't you go back to your blue check-mark safe space, work on your reading comprehension for a few years, and then come back here when you can act like an actual adult?
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71W89toaZYL._AC_SX679_ by Bos Beeline, on FlickrA hobby that costs nothing and contributes nothing substantive, no matter how much time you devote to it, is not the same as an investment in owning property or the commitment of paying rent and patronizing city businesses, socializing and dining at local bars and restaurants, taking an active and perhaps participatory interest neighborhood and city issues, voting in elections, etc. If you lived in town you’d realize how out to lunch you are with the skyscraper obsession relative to what residents want.
As for my London venture, better to try and fail than never try at all. It’s more than you’ve ever done and it still opened a hell of a lot of doors so in the grand scheme of things it was a bump in the road at worst. Let us know when you decide to do more than the bare minimum at your job and stop mooching off your parents to pay your rent.
Blackbird
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Yes
I worked there for 4 years so was part of the corporate tax base. I also live in close enough proximity that things that affect the city also affect me. For instance, if a bad policy leads to a slowdown in housing construction in Boston, it will inevitably lead to higher prices here. Also I am there a few days a week which often includes eating in the restaurants or spending money in certain retail establishments.
The "what the residents want" comment refers to the small amount of retired NIMBY's who are a very vocal minority. If you actually spent time in the city you'd see that the new skyscrapers do generate a level of interest that doesn't show up for most of the more utilitarian buildings going up. When they're actually towering right in front of you, skyscrapers inspire and stir the imagination. I can't tell you how many strangers I have seen either gawking or actually randomly talking to me about MT when it was built, 1 Dalton, new State Street, and the Hub on Causeway complex. I'm usually there taking pictures and strangers like to make comments, and apparently there is a level of excitement that you would never know is there if you don't witness it for yourself.
Also, it costs "nothing" except the crazy amount I pay in gas, and the crazy amount of time I spend dealing with the pictures I post here, and the rest of the money I spend in town. It costs you nothing to criticize and be a generally awful waste of space, but it does cost me time, energy, and money to devote to my hobby.
bigpicture7
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I was thinking about it this way: if my hobby is fashion, and I see a person walking down the street whose shirt I find quite unfashionable, how valid is my demand that they change their shirt?
When the city's issues can be put into a vacuum and have no effect on the cities and towns next door, then maybe this will hold water. When we stop calling it the "Boston metro" then maybe I won't identify with Boston. Maybe you also think that the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins would be fine if they only had fans from Boston itself, and all the retail would be fine without any of the workers who don't directly live in Boston inhabiting those spaces.
The one word I could use to describe your comment is elitist. I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of how you want to come across, but that's what you're being.
I guess the first question would be, are you going to see that same person in the same shirt everyday for the rest of your life, and does a large part of your identity revolve around that particular person? Suddenly it doesn't make any sort of sense to compare one thing to the other. Your comment meets the standard definition of non sequitur.
Blackbird
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If neighboring cities and towns want control over Boston's development, then they should consider annexation.
It's not about "control," it's about the right to have an opinion about the city everybody here identifies with. Boston wouldn't survive without all the people from the neighboring cities and towns. From what I recall (before covid at least) its daytime population would more than double during the workday. I was part of that daytime population for 4 years, spending my money 5 times a week in Boston restaurants, probably 3 times a week in the bars (I was in my 20's), shopping in the stores, and of course using the monthly mbta pass. I have contributed plenty to this city, monetarily, and not just with my time and effort to promote the place. I root for the Boston teams. I have no less than 4 shirts with the Boston skyline emblazoned directly on them. My identity is Boston, through and through.
Also, as mentioned above, what happens in Boston does affect the rest of the metro. Prices around here are sky high because of the proximity to Boston. If Boston stopped building housing altogether it would send rents for me, a couple of towns away, right through the roof. There are lots of things that can happen in Boston which affect the people around the city, and not just within the city. It's called "The Hub" for a reason and literally 5.5 states identify with it as the major city in the region.
From a development perspective:
1. Is Boston a major city? - Yes, in fact Boston ranks among the Top 25 globally in tons of different metrics, and really near the top of the total heap for healthcare, education, and now biotech, while also being a major player financially. It's no-doubt a global powerhouse of a city.
2. Is there demand to keep building? - Yes, obviously there is a ton of demand which has led to nonstop construction both within Boston proper and in the neighboring cities.
3. Are there plenty of plots that can go tall? - No, not really. You can certainly count on your fingers and toes the amount of parcels that could possibly break, say, 600'. They're few and far between.
4. Are there plenty of plots that can handle the standard 10 story lab or 20 story residential? - Yes, there are literally hundreds within and immediately surrounding the city limits, maybe even in the thousands when you really get down to it.
So when something that could be proposed as part of point 4 gets proposed on one of the few and far between plots of point 3, I am going to make my voice heard as loudly as I can. I am just 1 person, with 1 opinion, who will do my best to convince others but that's the extent of my capacity. As somebody passionate about this, I make my best case to influence any decisions, and then the chips fall as they fall. If you want to tell me that I don't deserve to have a voice in the freest country in the world, then I will tell you that I don't think you deserve to live in this country. Silencing others is literally the single most unamerican thing you can do and is the antithesis of all that the good ole' USA stands for. KMP forgot about this because of her time spent in a country that doesn't have the same level of freedom of speech. You don't have to agree with me. You can literally oppose any of my viewpoints and make your own case. What you can't do, not here, not ever, is demand my silence.
Scott
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Yes, Quincy should annex Boston and create Super Quincy
Your need to misgender somebody who you dislike is a great reminder of your immaturity, misogyny, deep-seated insecurities and how fearful you are of the world around you.
Deep down, I’m sure Michelle Wu intimidates the shit out of you.
You have revealed on this site in the past that you are a woman. Where is the misgender aspect? You ultra liberals jumping to "misogyny, bigot, racist, etc" every time somebody disagrees with you have removed 99% of the meaning of these words. Maybe I should call you an anti-semite every time you come on here to talk shit to me? I mean, it doesn't really apply to the conversation, but it's the same sick tactic your ilk uses to shut down any sort of dialogue.
As far as I'm concerned, the first person to jump to "racist/sexist/misogynist/bigot" when it isn't absolutely 100% those things automatically loses the argument. So because you said you were a woman, and I refer to you in those general terms, I'm suddenly an "insert your meaningless ad hominem attack here."
Maybe you can do humanity a favor and be one of the first colonizers of Mars. You certainly appear to have burned all your bridges here. Who knows, a few years of hibernation might be just what your personality needed!
You’re obviously in profound crisis. I sincerely hope that you get the help you so desperately need.
My only problem is giving trolls like you the time of day, instead of ignoring you like you deserve to be. You're an extremely nasty, negative person, basically Archboston's personal wet blanket.