Flow of consciousness:
I was talking to someone 100% outside of the design community the other day about the greenway. He remarked how stupid it was to put a bunch of parks there instead of more buildings. People who have no interest or knowledge of the built environment know this...
Similarly, when I was maybe 12 or so, I remember watching a special on the Big Dig on the Discovery Channel or some such. (Remember when Discovery actually taught you things!?!). They talked about how the Central Artery tore through the city and demolished a ton of buildings. Then they showed they were going to replace it with a park. My preteen self thought "that's stupid, it should be buildings".
So... how did we end up with a linear park when most people seem to inherently know it should have been redeveloped?
Of course, now that it's there we should do with it what we can. I think its moderately successful, although how could it not be being directly in the center of the city? One thing I really hate is how public officials keep touting it as the best thing since the revolution to happen to Boston. Its not. Everyone knows it. Stop lying.
I still think either Christopher Columbus Park or the park in front of the Long Wharf needs to go, or a piece of each. There is just way too much open space there. It doesn't work as one large park (a'la the common) because of all the cross streets, bad design, and lack of programming.
Ideally I'd love to see Atlantic Ave brought through the arch of the Long Wharf, through the harbor garage, and reconnected in front of Rowes Wharf. Something like 20'sidewalk|20' cycle track|20'sidewalk, with the cycle track accessible to emergency vehicles. I think a strip of pavement running through there would really help bring the continuity of the area back, and possibly restore some foot traffic to Atlantic Ave/Commercial Street, which feels like a back alley instead of the main thoroughfare it is. But that's just me.
/ramble.