Rose Kennedy Greenway

[atlantaden]

kz, really nice pics, thanks. I didn't realize there was so much open space and what's with the chain link fence? Is that to protect people from falling into the tunnel entrances and if yes, wasn't there something else that could have been used? Hopefully, that's temporary. Glad to see the Panera Bread opened alongside the Greenway; hopefully, another 40 or so restaurants and cafes will open in the near future on either side of the Greenway along with many more benches and seating. I'm holding my breath in the hope that this turns out to be so much better than I think it's gonna be.

 

[ablarc]

^ Yeah, from what I can see the mediocrity's shaping up to be truly world class. Sort of the Beigeway.

The space is all wrong, not even a space really. And all those ugly exposed endwalls from when the highway came through half a century ago...

This has been such a bad idea all along. They should have just restored the street grid and built little three-story buildings.

 

[Arch21]

kz1000ps seriously you take all these pictures from inside these construction areas especially the ones you took of battery wharf
WHO ARE YOU
im going to throw out a guess here you work for city hall or is it the state house
am i close

 

[Waldorf]

Awesome pics KZ...once again, you've outdone yourself.

The ramp parcels will eventually be covered with the Boston Museum and the New Center for Arts and Culture (Rowes Wharf).

Look, what do you expect from a quasi-public highway agency? World class horticulture? Even though the Greenway has its flaws, overall it will be a big draw for both locals and tourist alike. This will turn out better then what we are expecting even though it may not be cutting edge in design. It's the activity and programming that will truly make it world class.

ablarc - what end walls are you talking about? Where the ramps are?

 

[ablarc]

ablarc - what end walls are you talking about?

These:

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Could this park be better? Hell yeah.

BUT

Are these parks better than what was there before? Of course.

I say lets be happy this isn't an elevated highway anymore. It can always be redesigned in the future when there is more money for it.

 

[ablarc]

It doesn't need a redesign. It needs a whole different concept.

City, not park.

 

[kz1000ps]

kz1000ps seriously you take all these pictures from inside these construction areas especially the ones you took of battery wharf
WHO ARE YOU

Haha Arch21 you're funny. I'm 24, at least half French-Canadian, and my job is that of a lowly courier (bike messenger), and I get access to any and all buildings through that job. As for getting "inside" the construction areas, 99.8% of the time I'm simply taking my shots from the perimeter, being careful not to get any border fencing in the picture. Once in a while if the vehicle gate is open I'll venture in a little bit, but otherwise I do all my shooting from public property.


And from today, this should help all the visual learners (isn't that all of us?) to better understand what's shaping up on the ground. From the 23rd floor of 2 IP:

parcels 17A through 14

17B

 

[TC]

Thanks for the photo tour kz1000ps. You really do a good job and I almost felt like I was the one walking the greenway yesterday.


Now for my comments about this surface restoration......

I always knew there was going to be open space, but this is borderline ridiculous. This is supposed to be downtown Boston and the greenway does nothing to knit the city back together. I don't see this working at all. As far as bad decisions go, this decision to have 75% open space is running a close second to building the central artery in the 1st place.

If I could change the plan I would leave 3 park parcels. Take 1 north end parcel, 1 wharf district parcel, and I would leave the chinatown park as is (it's the only one they got right). The rest of the greenway should be residential with ground floor commercial space. Doesn't need to be tall, anywhere from 5 to 10 stories based on location. The influx of new residents would support the new business's and create the street activity that everyone here wants.

It currently looks like this area has been designed for commuters and tourists to walk through to get somewhere else. (a point that someone has brought up before) And in that respect, it really is not much different than when the artery was there.

 

[ablarc]

It currently looks like this area has been designed for commuters and tourists to walk through to get somewhere else. (a point that someone has brought up before) And in that respect, it really is not much different than when the artery was there.

And remembering the Artery's traffic jams, it's possible those commuters will even be moving faster.

 

[lexicon506]

Doesn't look too impressive right now, but I'll be optimistic. Once the dust settles, the trees bloom, the fountain is turned on, and the concerts begin, people will come to the greenway. The NCAC and Boston Museum will help draw crowds, and I still believe that eventually, we'll see the Garden Under Glass realized. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year, but I bet that by Boston's 400th birthday, these parks will look drastically different (read: better) and we will all (well, those of us who are still alive ) look back fondly on the decision to create the greenway versus developing the strip. Yes, I know that's a long time, but this is Boston, and here, more than in any other place, patience is a virtue.

 

[ablarc]

It currently looks like this area has been designed for commuters and tourists to walk through to get somewhere else. (a point that someone has brought up before) And in that respect, it really is not much different than when the artery was there.

And remembering the Artery's traffic jams, it's even possible those commuters will be moving faster.

 

[Charlie_mta]

This is really sad. The pictures taken from ground level are reminiscent of Dresden, Germany during World War II.

This is a disaster.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Oh come on people, this thing isn't even finished yet! I'm holding my final thoughts until it is completed and the trees start to mature.

However, what this needs is some LIGHT RAIL!

 

[lexicon506]

^amen to that! can you say "silver line converted to light rail and run up the greenway, connecting N and S stations and beyond, while its washington st branch is handed over to a completely new LR line so as to not overextend the green line?" try that 10 times fast...

also, there's no need to worry about the blank walls. it's pretty much a guarantee that they will be improved.

 

[ablarc]

Oh come on people, this thing isn't even finished yet! I'm holding my final thoughts until it is completed and the trees start to mature.

Guess that means you're not entitled to an opinion until you're at least middle-aged.

However, what this needs is some LIGHT RAIL!

AMEN TO THAT !!

 

[ablarc]

there's no need to worry about the blank walls. it's pretty much a guarantee that they will be improved.

Yeah, like the one that's already been "improved."

 

[Ron Newman]

Thanks for the photos. This is a work in progress, and I cannot make any judgments until it's further along. I'm looking forward to a string of grand openings as each parcel is completed.

Plenty of people pass through the Public Garden and the Common without stopping anywhere inside them. There's nothing wrong with using a park this way.

 

[ablarc]

This is a work in progress, and I cannot make any judgments until it's further along.

By the same token, I'm withholding judgment on the Bush Iraq policy until after he's won the war.

I'm looking forward to a string of grand openings as each parcel is completed.

And I'm looking forward to a barrage of glorious victory announcements.

 

[briv]

What a horrible fiasco. Our grand Greenway is nothing more than green trickle running between six lanes of traffic. Its a glorified median strip and does none of the things it was promised to do-- i.e. knit neighborhoods back together, provide Boston with a "world-class public space", etc. And what a fantastic view it affords of all those buildings that were mutilated to make way for the elevated expressway. They look like the ruins of a war zone. Lovely.