Not a single one in MetroWest. Of course, Framingham's Arcade project, which would bring housing, commercial and retail development near the T station, stalled because the governor's administration hasn't developed proper regulations for tax-breaks for such mixed-use projects. Argh.
Anyway ... the 10 honored smart-growth projects include Cambridge's bicycle and pedestrian program, which assumes that people actually plan to get around by foot, cycle and public transit instead of designing for the automobile and then adding token gestures for others (such as sidewalks no one would actually ever want to use); and the Dennisport Village Center with a mix of retail, commercial, professional and residential use.
November 29, 2004
November 28, 2004
First “Lifestyle Center” Opens In Massachusetts
Derby Street Shoppes, recently open in Hingham, is Massachusetts' first so-called "lifestyle center," according to the Boston Globe: a retail development featuring "open-air areas with pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. ... While many of the stores are also found in malls, their ambience is intended to be more akin to a downtown. The centers typically have wide sidewalks and elaborate landscaping, in a layout meant to encourage window shopping, outdoor dining, and strolling."
''It is designed to give the customer a sense of place that is more than just a place to shop," Tom DeSimone, a partner in W/S Development Associates LLC of Chestnut Hill, which developed the center, told the Globe. "It creates something of a downtown feel."
It's a pity they had to give this cutting-edge shopping area such a gag-inducing cutesy name. That aside, though, Derby Street Shoppes is a great concept (although I haven't seen it in person yet), and a superior alternative to yet another conventional shopping mall.
A Framingham developer has planned another one for Burlington (see earlier posting) ... but no word on any such development here in Framingham. Instead, we've got the actively ambiance-hostile Shoppers World, which was designed to have a hideously unattractive parking lot as its central feature, not an appealing streetscape. Sigh.
''It is designed to give the customer a sense of place that is more than just a place to shop," Tom DeSimone, a partner in W/S Development Associates LLC of Chestnut Hill, which developed the center, told the Globe. "It creates something of a downtown feel."
It's a pity they had to give this cutting-edge shopping area such a gag-inducing cutesy name. That aside, though, Derby Street Shoppes is a great concept (although I haven't seen it in person yet), and a superior alternative to yet another conventional shopping mall.
A Framingham developer has planned another one for Burlington (see earlier posting) ... but no word on any such development here in Framingham. Instead, we've got the actively ambiance-hostile Shoppers World, which was designed to have a hideously unattractive parking lot as its central feature, not an appealing streetscape. Sigh.
‘Inner Ring’ Suburbs At Risk?
A study of Philadelphia's "inner-ring" suburbs -- communities between the city itself and more open, affluent outer suburbs -- finds them "increasingly vulnerable to economic decline."
The research, by Nancey Green Leigh and Sugie Lee at the Georgia Instiute of Technology, concludes that Philadelphia itself saw a reduction in poverty and the exurbs attracted new population and housing growth. But communities in between "are declining overall [and showing] early signs of blight."
Conclusion: "There is a need to stem the deterioration of the inner-ring suburbs, documented in our case study of Philadelphia, as well as to stem further sprawl-contributing greenfield development on the metropolitan fringe. This suggests that strategic policy approaches should favor the revitalization and enhancement of existing, inner-ring physical infrastructure over new infrastructure creation in the outer-ring suburbs."
Boston isn't Philadelphia, but planners in suburbs within Rte. 495 -- particularly those less affluent than their neighbors -- need to be paying attention here.
The research, by Nancey Green Leigh and Sugie Lee at the Georgia Instiute of Technology, concludes that Philadelphia itself saw a reduction in poverty and the exurbs attracted new population and housing growth. But communities in between "are declining overall [and showing] early signs of blight."
Conclusion: "There is a need to stem the deterioration of the inner-ring suburbs, documented in our case study of Philadelphia, as well as to stem further sprawl-contributing greenfield development on the metropolitan fringe. This suggests that strategic policy approaches should favor the revitalization and enhancement of existing, inner-ring physical infrastructure over new infrastructure creation in the outer-ring suburbs."
Boston isn't Philadelphia, but planners in suburbs within Rte. 495 -- particularly those less affluent than their neighbors -- need to be paying attention here.
Why Much Of Framingham Isn’t Walkable….
...and how to make it that way.
That's the thrust of an article I had published in today's MetroWest Daily News.
The genesis of the piece was noticing how few pedestrians walk on Rte. 30 -- where sidewalks are ample and there are, in theory, attractive destinations for walkers such as stores and restaurants; yet so many more lunchtime office workers are out walking on nearby back roads, with no sidewalks or stores.
I invite you to take a look at it this week (before they put the article in their paid archives).
That's the thrust of an article I had published in today's MetroWest Daily News.
The genesis of the piece was noticing how few pedestrians walk on Rte. 30 -- where sidewalks are ample and there are, in theory, attractive destinations for walkers such as stores and restaurants; yet so many more lunchtime office workers are out walking on nearby back roads, with no sidewalks or stores.
If you investigate this apparent paradox, you'll understand why simply installing sidewalks -- even sidewalks that meet government codes, and are wide enough to walk three abreast -- will not entice anyone but the most militant of walkers out of their cars. And why the Golden Triangle will NEVER resemble a walkable community, unless planners make a conscious decision to design for walkability as well as traffic flow -- even though office workers and residents are so tantalizingly close to restaurants, stores and financial services in town.
I invite you to take a look at it this week (before they put the article in their paid archives).
November 22, 2004
New Study To Examine Community Design, Health Links
"A new $2.8 million effort, partnering public and private funding agencies, will examine how better community design encourages people to be more physically active in their daily lives. Researchers will identify how our built environment contributes to obesity and how environmental changes can combat a growing public health problem," according to a press release from the National Institutes of Health.
"We'd like to determine if simple changes in the built environment and in individual behavior can enhance physical activity and reduce obesity for residents," said Dr. Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences , which is the public agency funding the effort. "Local municipalities could then look at the results and determine if modifying the built environment might affect the public's health and reduce health care costs."
Makes sense. If you not only can drive everywhere, but must drive everywhere, because you live in a pedestrian-hostile environment, clearly you're going to get much less incidental activity week in and week out, than if you live someplace where it's enticing to walk from place to place.
"We'd like to determine if simple changes in the built environment and in individual behavior can enhance physical activity and reduce obesity for residents," said Dr. Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences , which is the public agency funding the effort. "Local municipalities could then look at the results and determine if modifying the built environment might affect the public's health and reduce health care costs."
Makes sense. If you not only can drive everywhere, but must drive everywhere, because you live in a pedestrian-hostile environment, clearly you're going to get much less incidental activity week in and week out, than if you live someplace where it's enticing to walk from place to place.
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