^ The redevelopments completed thus far have not been promising. See: window slits cut into warehouse buildings previously truncated by the Artery. Not a pleasant aesthetic experience, overall.
The fact that the sidewalks along most parts of the Artery seem too narrow to house large-scale sidewalk cafes is another missed opportunity.
However, the northern edge of this park is going to be a disaster, I think. They laid down a really nice sidewalk next to Martignetti's liquor store last year. I thought this wide swath of brick was going to be for pushcarts or outdoor dining, or something remotely interesting. Instead, it's a glorified parking lot! It would be much better if the sidewalk was a normal width and if that land was developed.
Yes; this was one case in which kowtowing to the North End was not in the city's best interests. When there's a lack of affordable housing in the neighborhood and a new park system begging for architectural definition, there's really no reason to maintain a strip of unremarkable one-story shops and to grant them an expensively streetscaped parking lot that's supposed to double as a sidewalk. This was a design travesty.
Nearly all of the current and conceivable problems with the edges of the Greenway can be traced to the decision to make the parks and the roadways along them as wide as they are. Imagine the possibilities if only one layer of new construction were permitted between the current cityscape and the park corridor!
My ideal for the Greenway would probably look much like this sketch from the Westwood Station plans, perhaps with taller buildings.
It's a sad day when Boston's suburbs, working from zero urban context, manage to produce a more people-friendly space than one of the country's best walking cities.
Hey folks, how about an amusement park with a huuuuge roller coaster. That would be fun! And it would be sure to pull in the suburbanites!
The area around Faneuil Hall is already overrun by field-tripping children, and there are plenty more who show up for games at the Garden. When Six Flags American Revolution opens on parcel 8 or whatever, every SUV from the 495 corridor would be pointed toward downtown, for once. Bonus: the twisted topography of Government Center would make a fantastic site for a waterpark.