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. 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.
This workshop, hosted by the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA), through its Urban Design Committee, matched volunteers with municipal partners in Boston, Cambridge and Everett to examine possibilities for increased density and the necessary considerations for this growth.
Assuming that we need to increase density in our municipalities by about 25% in order to accommodate a growing population, each team was asked to consider the implications of this increase by itself and to examine how this will impact related issues of walkability and transportation, affordability, economic opportunity and infrastructure needs.
The workshop provided municipal partners with early stage proposals that consider ways to gently increase density and the impacts of this shift and generated points of comparison between these different municipalities for larger lessons learned.
Municipal Partners: Kristina Ricco, Senior Planner, Boston Planning & Development AgencyJared Staley, Planner II, Boston Planning & Development Agency
Team: A. Vernon Woodworth FAIAPat ConnollyDevanshi Purohit AICPKatie CressallHannah GibsonRajji DesaiThiago Lee
Municipal Partners: Suzannah Bigolin, Urban Design Project Planner, Cambridge Community Development DepartmentDrew Kane AICP, Land Use Planner, City of Cambridge Community Development Department
Team: Carley ElliottLeonardi Aray AIAFoteini BouliariTurid Terese Hovn OhlssonPatrick Cooleybeck
Municipal Partners: Jay Monty, Director of Transportation and Mobility, City of EverettMatt Lattanzi, Director Planning and Development / Assistant City Solicitor
Everett Team I: Thomas Schultz AIA NCARBChris Herlich AICPDavid CarlsonBen Carlson
Everett Team II: Rosalyn Elder AIA LEED APDavid Woshinsky AIA LEED APJon Seward
A Quarter More: Exploring Density in Metro Boston Kickoff
A Quarter More: Exploring Density in Metro Boston Midpoint
A Quarter More: Exploring Density in Metro Boston Final Pin-Up
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