The letter pretty much speaks for itself and puts several points out there demonstrating that we really can’t wait any longer for progress on major projects in our neighborhood:
Category: Paths
Arboretum Road Cleanup – 14 March 2026 – 10 am to 12 pm
We here at WalkUP Roslindale remain delighted at last fall’s completion and opening of the initial phase of the Roslindale Gateway Path from the end of the Blackwell Path to the new Arboretum Road entrance. We would like to start a tradition of spring and fall cleanups and so are kicking off with a community cleanup next Saturday, 14 March 2026, from 10 am to 12 pm. We will meet at the entrance. Please bring yourself, comfortable clothes that can get messy, gloves, and whatever cleanup implement works best for you. We will have water, light snacks, and some extra implements (likely a couple of brooms/rakes and a shovel) on hand. Hope to see you then and there!
City Council hearing on snow clearance tomorrow – 2 pm Boston City Hall – Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Tomorrow afternoon, 3rd March 2026, at 2:00 pm, the City Council’s Committee on Public Services will hold a hearing in the Iannella Chamber, 5th Floor, Boston City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts 02201, on snow removal relief, the creation of a snow corps, and the purchasing of snow melters. Information on attending the hearing and testifying in person as well as submitting written testimony can be found HERE. It’s been the snowiest winter in a decade and we’ve all seen how difficult the snowfall and the largely auto-focused clearance thereafter has made getting around on foot, by bike, and on transit that much harder than it normally is. Our snow clearance collaborative has tried to shine an active, lead-by-example light on the issues, but tomorrow’s offers a chance to tell the city what you really think. Don’t pass up the chance to talk about your experience over the last month-plus of blocked intersection/crosswalk ramps and plowed in bus stop and bike lanes.
WalkUP Roslindale Snow Clearance Collaborative, Version 8.6 – Another big one!
We’re looking at a snowfall total on the order of at least 18″ (45.7 cm) from this significant northeaster, which is several multiples over our 4″ (10 cm) benchmark. Once again, each of us knows our part of the neighborhood and where the worst pinch points are likely to be found after a snowfall, so, once it is safe to do so, let’s take care of our neighbors by digging them out and providing safe paths of travel wherever and whenever we can. As always, anyone sending in a before-and-after set of pictures of a curb ramp, bus stop, or stretch of sidewalk or bike lane they’ve cleared will receive a $10 reward as a small expression of our deepest thanks (note: spending of these funds at a neighborhood business of your choice strongly encouraged) (those pix can be sent to matthew.j.lawlor@gmail.com). Be well everyone!
10 years in and still at it!
Yes, you read that right. WalkUP Roslindale are now in our eleventh year of pro-housing and pro-walk, -bike, and -transit advocacy. We announced this venture, which started out as the brainchild of Adam Kessel and your correspondent, in the spring of 2015 with the following post:
We were simply a group of neighbors who came together to try to make, as Adam indicated, Roslindale “the most walkable neighborhood in all of Boston.” We’ve come quite a way over the last decade, including formally incorporating as a non-profit in the fall of 2021 and availing ourselves of the generous fiscal sponsorship of Roslindale Village Main Street in the process. According to wordpress, we’ve also posted a total of 517 times in those years (this post will be #518). The principal through-lines have, at least from my perspective, been (1) comment letters on new projects in the neighborhood, whether focused on new development or supportive infrastructure for walking, cycling, and transit; (2) support for planning, seeking funding, and implementing the Roslindale Gateway Path with collaborative support from, among many others, the Arnold Arboretum, the Arboretum Park Conservancy, the Solomon Foundation, LivableStreets Alliance, and the City of Boston’s Parks and Transportation Departments; and (3) supporting the fundamental restructuring of the city’s regulatory system to get way from our decades-old, painfully slow development by variance approach to reform-based, pro-housing approaches such as Squares + Streets. Herewith the first or most emblematic post from this website in each of those areas:
First Official WalkUP Roslindale Comment Letter – 100 Weld Street
We’re grateful for all of the support we’ve seen along the way so far and look forward to the next decade of advocating for a better, safer, and more welcoming neighborhood!
Arboretum Block Party this Saturday 7/19 11am-2pm!
Join the Arnold Arboretum for a Block Party on Arboretum Road this Saturday, July 19 from 11am-2pm to celebrate the new entrance to the Arboretum (Phase 1 of the Roslindale Gateway Path)! Free pizza, face painting, and more!
View the flyer in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
Please stop by our community table to chat with us about the Roslindale Gateway Path, pedestrian improvements we’re advocating for in and around the Arboretum, and more.
Hope to see you there!
New City Initiative Alert – “Spaces for You”
In line with the way the Wu Administration has been seeking to emphasize systemic planning instead of project-based development review, they’re now out with a new initiative on public spaces they’re calling “Spaces for You” and which they describe at a very high level as follows:
Spaces For You is a collaborative and proactive initiative by the City of Boston to co-create, enhance, and celebrate public outdoor spaces that foster joy, belonging, and well-being for all residents. It seeks to bridge the gap between community needs and city resources, knitting together public and privately generated open spaces to create vibrant social places for all.
The project page can be found here and note that there’s a brief survey in which they’re seeking some initial feedback. Go ahead and let them know what you think!
Soft Open Alert – Roslindale Gateway Path Phase 1!
We here at WalkUP Roslindale have been advocating and organizing around the Roslindale Gateway Path since our inception almost a decade ago and, thanks to the sustained leadership and partnership of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Arboretum Park Conservancy, LivableStreets Alliance, the Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, Rozzie Bikes, Hubluv, the Solomon Foundation, and of course the City of Boston (especially the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu as well as the Parks and Recreation Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Transportation Department), we now have the first tangible result of those efforts – the Phase 1 extension from the terminus of the Blackwell Path at South Street alongside and then under the MBTA Needham Line tracks to a brand new and fully fledged Arboretum entrance on Arboretum Road. This is a great step forward in providing better access to this Emerald Necklace jewel to/from this part of Roslindale. It’s long overdue and very welcome, and we will continue to advocate for the rest of the path going forward, so that improved access can be achieved at Archdale Road and at the Roslindale Village Commuter Rail Station. We also urge everyone to mark your calendars for Saturday, 19 July 2025, when the formal grand opening celebration will be held. We’ll share details on that as they become available. Many thanks to all of the players who made this possible!
Our most recent summary piece on the full path can be found here: Roslindale Gateway Path.
Grand Opening of Walter Street Path Saturday, 6/22/2024 at 1pm
This coming Saturday, June 22, 2024, at 1pm, the Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association and the Roslindale Wetlands Task Force are hosting Celebrating New Beginnings for 104-108 Walter Street with the grand opening of the new Walter Street Path to the Roslindale Wetlands Urban Wild area and its ecological restoration along with the start of the renovation/construction phase creating four units of affordable home ownership with Habitat for Humanity. We supported this project, which advances equity as well as climate resiliency, and encourage other supporters to attend this opening event. There will be fun, snacks, wetlands walks, info tables, and of course, a ribbon-cutting.
Spread the word!
Virtual Visioning Session for Squares + Streets – Tomorrow – 7 May 2024 @ 6-8 pm
The BPDA will be hosting a virtual visioning session tomorrow night, 7 May 2024, from 6 to 8 pm (Register here). The session parallels last week’s in-person session. BPDA staff describe the session as an opportunity “to collaborate with the community on generating ideas for potential planning and zoning recommendations for the Roslindale Square Squares + Streets Plan. This session will include a summary of existing conditions analysis, feedback received to-date and community visions for different topic areas, as well as hands-on activities to contribute your ideas for potential recommendations.”
More information about the session can be found here.