A Quarter More: Exploring Density in Metro Boston

There is a great shortage of housing throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While there is no single solution that will address this critical issue, one thing is for certain: each municipality needs to work on building more housing. Municipalities and advocacy groups throughout the state are already working to produce more housing by changing zoning to allow for greater multi-family housing. Whether accounted for or not, denser housing will impact other dimensions of the built environment, from economic development and overall tax base to transportation and infrastructure. Density, in of itself, is not a one-size-fits-all solution and can run the risk of further entrenching systemic issues of equity and sustainability. The role of designers and planners in advocating for healthier neighborhoods through densification is an essential component of building better urban spaces.

About the Midpoint Pinup

For the past month and a half, five teams have been working with three municipal partners representing Cambridge, Somerville, and Everett to think through and propose pathways for accommodating and encouraging denser neighborhoods. This midpoint pinup invites teams, partners, and the public to participate in a pinup session. Each team will present their work at this halfway point with a final pinup taking place in June.

Agenda

4:00 PM—Welcome & Midpoint Overview | UDW Co-chairs

4:10 PM—Everett Team 1 | Thomas Schultz AIA NCARB, Chris Herlich AICP, David Carlson, and Ben Carlson

4:35 PM—Everett Team 2 | Rosalyn Elder AIA LEED AP, David Woshinsky AIA LEED AP, and Jon Seward

5:00 PM—Cambridge Team 1 | Carley Elliott, Leonardi Aray AIA, Foteini Bouliari, David Chilinski FAIA, Turid Terese Hovn Ohlsson, and Patrick Cooleybeck

5:25 PM—Boston Team 1 | A. Vernon Woodworth FAIA, Aida Villoria Garcia, and Alykhan Mohamed

5:50 PM—Boston Team 2 | Pat Connolly, Stefan Angelovski, and Devanshi Purohit AICP

6:15 PM—Closing Q&A

6:30 PM—Networking and Refreshments

Urban Design Workshop History

The BSA and the BSA Foundation launched the Urban Design Workshops in 2014 to engage local architects in early stage thinking about major urban design initiatives. The workshops have provided a valuable resource to public agencies and major property owners by providing big-picture design thinking to support larger planning and public outreach processes. Modeled on programs such as the National Endowment for the Arts Mayors’ Institute on City Design, Urban Land Institute SWAT team workshops, and the AIA’s RUDAT program, the BSA Urban Design Workshops (UDW) pull together professionals to provide a holistic design-focused look at a particular urban area or issue concerning the built environment.