Category: Vision

Public Presentation on the new Squares + Streets Initiative – Sunday, 10 December 2023 – 5 pm Upstairs at the Substation

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We’re pleased to announce that, on Sunday, 10 December 2023, at 5 pm at the Substation (Upstairs) in Roslindale Square, we will be hosting a presentation from representatives of the Boston Planning & Development Agency on their recently-launched Squares + Streets planning and zoning initiative. The top-line description of the initiative from the BPDA webpage reads as follows:

Squares + Streets, a new planning and zoning initiative that will focus on housing, public space, arts and culture, and transit in neighborhood centers and along main streets.

We are looking to enhance small areas that are near transit and already provide essential goods and services for local residents, businesses, and visitors.

Squares + Streets will:

  • Focus on housing, public space, cultural amenities, transit assets etc. that reflect the unique needs of each area
  • Develop a number of Small Area Plans in 6–9 month timeframes that are shorter, more intentional, more transparent, and more predictable

This project is meant to complement and support Design Vision and Zoning Reform work.

What are Squares + Streets?

Squares + Streets are centers for activity within a neighborhood. They are often important places of gathering that connect residents to essential goods, transit options, services, and job opportunities.

Planning for Squares + Streets is one of the first steps towards what citywide zoning reform might look like. By focusing on key squares and streets across the city, our goal is to develop high-impact, short-term recommendations for areas that can be implemented through zoning.

Squares and Streets will focus on centers of activity in neighborhoods.
Squares + Streets will focus on centers of activity in neighborhoods.

What are small area plans?

Small Area Plans will zoom in on specific squares and streets throughout Boston’s neighborhoods to make detailed, action-oriented plans. They will focus on the local level and are not neighborhood wide.

Small Area Plans will support housing growth, and provide investment opportunities supported by city services in our neighborhoods.

Once completed, each Small Area Plan will outline near-term implementation actions such as:

  • Modified zoning to support housing and healthy business districts
  • Infrastructure projects to address transportation and public space needs
  • Programs and funding to promote small businesses and arts and culture

WalkUP Roslindale Double-Header Coming Up – TransitMatters and Roslindale Gateway Path – 17 September 2023 – 5 pm

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Construction has started on the first phase of the Roslindale Gateway Path. This is the scene as of 27 August 2023 looking south from the point of connection with the Blackwell Path.

You read that right! On Sunday, 17 September 2023, WalkUP Roslindale will feature back-t0-back speakers commencing at 5 pm at the Substation in Roslindale Square. The public are invited to these informational sessions.

To start, we’ll hear from Jarred Johnson of TransitMatters, about their transit advocacy plans for the fall and, especially, the recent report they released on “Modernizing the Needham Line: The Case for an Orange Line Extension to West Roxbury.” NOTE: WalkUP Roslindale has not taken a position on any of the report’s recommendations.

To finish, we’ll have a presentation from our own Greg Tobin, WalkUP Roslindale board member, on the City’s progress with implementation of the shared city/arboretum/community vision around the Roslindale Gateway Path, especially the start of construction on the first phase of the path, running from the end of the Blackwell Path at South Street to the underpass at Arboretum Road. The photo above was taken just today – we hope it’s severely dated by the time we get to the 17th of next month!

We’re planning 30 minutes for each of our presentations and Q+A, so everyone should be on their way by 6 pm.

Ever wanted to have a seat at the MBTA table? Here’s your chance!

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Well, the time may in fact have come. The recently-passed and now signed Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2024 budget expands the board of the MBTA by two seats, including, most importantly for purposes of this post, one for an appointee of the Mayor of Boston. You can read the full announcement on the City’s website, and we’ve pulled the text here:

Mayor Michelle Wu is seeking ideas and recommendations from residents to inform the City of Boston’s representation on the MBTA Board. Earlier this month, the State Legislature and Governor passed a state budget that created a City of Boston seat on the Board of Directors of the MBTA, giving the City a direct role in the governance of the region’s public transit system. Mayor Wu wants community to be a partner in building this new relationship with the MBTA to best reflect the needs of commuters and riders.

Boston’s economic strength, community well-being, and cultural vibrancy depend on public transportation and the City is ready to partner on the urgent endeavor of building the quality transit that our entire region deserves. In the coming weeks, Mayor Wu will be considering candidates to serve on the Board of Directors, which meets monthly and holds monthly subcommittee meetings. Click here to learn more about leadership at the MBTA. 

Those interested in serving should be: 

  • A resident of Boston
  • A public transit rider
  • Connected to communities of transit riders, including employees, customers, and students
  • Committed to high quality, reliable, and affordable public transportation as a core strategy of economic growth, cultural vibrancy, and quality of life.

We are also asking residents and community members to help inform Boston’s involvement on the MBTA Board. Please submit your ideas and/or interest through this form by Monday, September 5th at 5 p.m. For more information, visit boston.gov/mbta-board

 

The Street Project – A de-brief

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It’s been 3 weeks since our community screening of The Street Project at the Rozzie Square Theater and, late as it is, we thought we should provide a de-brief. Overall, the screening was a success. We were delighted to welcome the mayor, who put in a brief appearance prior to the start of the film, to reiterate her administration’s commitment to the full slate of safe street improvements indicated in the documentary – safer pedestrian and cyclist conditions such as open streets, better crossings, speed humps, street narrowings, and protected bike lanes. After the film concluded, we were gratified to have Jeff Speck, author of The Walkable City and one of the experts featured in the film, on hand to answer questions from attendees. It was, all around, a great time. Special thanks to the filmmaker Jennifer Boyd at Boyd Productions, to Courtney Pong and the team at Rozzie Square Theater, and to Anna VanRemoortel at RVMS, as well as Jason Bylsma, Steve Gag, and Elvira Mora from WUR. We’ll look to do more of this going forward!

Community Screening – “The Street Project” – Sunday, 25 June 2023 – 12:30 pm – Rozzie Square Theater

Matt Lawlor 1 Comment

As we noted a few days ago, WalkUP Roslindale are confirmed to present a community screening of The Street Project, a new documentary from 9-time Emmy-award winning filmmaker Jennifer Boyd, focusing on the movement for safer streets around the US and the world. The screening will take place at 12:30 pm on the afternoon of Sunday, 25 June 2023, at the Rozzie Square Theater on Basile Street in Roslindale Square. So, come on down and support WalkUP Roslindale’s efforts to raise awareness and move the needle around these issues here at home. The screening will feature a community-led discussion about street safety in Roslindale and across Boston where we’ll hear voices from residents, cyclists, advocates, and participation from city planner and Walkable City author, Jeff Speck. Seating is limited to 49 and seats are FREE (with donations through our fiscal sponsor, Roslindale Village Main Street, in any amount encouraged), so get your advance tickets HERE. Special thanks to Courtney and the team at RST for donating use of the theater space without cost. We look forward to seeing you there!

VERY BIG NEWS: BTD’s “Safety Surge” means the end of doling out street safety with an eyedropper…

Matt Lawlor 1 Comment

This was definitely something not to be missed at the start of this week: On Monday, as StreetsblogMass reported, Mayor Wu and the Boston Transportation Department held a press conference in Mattapan to announce that they had laid the groundwork and were now ready to move forward with what they are dubbing a “Safety Surge” on 3 meaningful, citywide safety initiatives, starting more or less right away:

  1. Speed Humps. A new, comprehensive speed hump program that will roll out 500 new speed humps on residential streets throughout Boston based on analysis of crash day and vulnerable populations instead of the frankly take-it-slow, Hunger Games-like approach of the now-sunsetted Neighborhood Slow Streets program. NOTE: These are not car-frame/axle-jarring speed bumps but instead broader, more rounded humps in the street designed to be negotiated safely without incident as long as the motor vehicle operator is going not more than a safe-for-all-street-users 20 mph. Many (though not nearly enough) have been installed under the NSS program, including several in the Mt. Hope/Canterbury NSS area of Roslindale. We advocated for NSS districts in Roslindale and were fortunate to see some success in bringing the program here, but we have always agreed with Mayor Wu that, from the moment the NSS program was started and the mayor was just an at-large city councilor, it was woefully inadequate to meet the need, shouldn’t have been based on particular kinds of advocacy, and should have just gone citywide as a basic public health and safety measure like piping our sewer output and having lights on our street. We’ve said this before and are glad that this is finally the city’s real goal: Everyone deserves to live on a safe street. Everyone on every street in every neighborhood. As soon as possible. No exceptions.
  2. Safer Intersections. The goal here is to redesign and reconfigure 25-30 intersections across the city, again based on crash data and vulnerable population information, to prioritize safety. Most crashes happen at intersections, so this work is absolutely critical and we look forward to seeing major, highly dangerous intersections that today act like major obstacles (ahem, the American Legion/Cummins/Canterbury intersection being a big one around here) made safer and more inviting for everyone.
  3. Safer Signals. This is another in the long-time-coming category. The way signals and control of motor vehicles are undertaken at signalized intersections has been a depressing prospect in this city for as long as your correspondent has lived here. The last citywide policy redo, in 2018, was deeply insufficient to meet the moment and failed move us away from a car-first mindset. The new policy stands a chance of making the changes we need made, especially through leading pedestrian intervals at key signalized crossings, prohibiting right-on-red in more places, and setting an overall goal of safety over motor vehicle throughput.

So, a momentous set of changes and ones that we look forward to following and enjoying with all of our neighbors as they roll out. Stay tuned as that happens.

 

The Street Project will be coming to Roslindale – 12:30 pm on Sunday, 25 June 2023 @ The Rozzie Square Theater

Matt Lawlor Leave a comment

You read that right! More details to follow, but WalkUP Roslindale are confirmed to present a community screening of The Street Project, a new documentary from filmmaker Jennifer Boyd, focusing on the struggle for safer streets around the US and the world. The screening will take place at 12:30 pm on the afternoon of Sunday, 25 June 2023, at the Rozzie Square Theater on Basile Street in Roslindale Square. Suggested donation will be $5.00 to support WalkUP Roslindale’s efforts to raise awareness and move the needle around these issues here at home (special thanks to Courtney and the team at RST for donating use of the theater space without cost). We look forward to seeing you there!

WUR at the Movies – The Street Project – 30 April 2023 – 12:45 pm – Somerville Theatre, Davis Square

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It has come to our attention that The Street Project, a new documentary about the safe streets movement across the country, is going to be screened this coming Sunday, 30 April 2023, at 12:45 pm at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, as part of this year’s Independent Boston Film Festival. Tickets are only $15 but they’re limited, so get them while they’re still available and take the opportunity to visit a different part of the region!

Dispatch from the Big Change Department: WalkBoston has changed its name and is now WalkMassachusetts!

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WalkBoston, the commonwealth’s 30+ year old premiere walking advocacy organization, has decided to fully embrace its long-standing statewide role and has accordingly changed its name to “WalkMassachusetts.” For those of you who’ve been following our little home-grown walking advocacy group here in Roslindale, the outsized role that what is now WalkMassachusetts has played has been obvious. They’ve helped us with walk audits (e.g., Roslindale Square (2016), Poplar Street (2022)), been a fantastic technical resource generally, and led the charge on major efforts around city-level pedestrian safety improvements on our streets and changes in law at the state level to protect all vulnerable road users. We’ll let WalkMassachusetts have the extended last word on why they’ve chosen to take this step and what we can all expect going forward:

“Last year we reaffirmed our Mission and defined our Vision for the future: a Massachusetts where people walking—no matter their race, identity, age, ability, or lived experience—feel safe, connected, and valued on our streets and sidewalks.

“To make our Vision a reality, we established 3 goals:

Goal 1: Advocate for inclusive, safe, and enjoyable places for people to walk.

Goal 2: Work in places where people walking have the greatest need.

Goal 3: Achieve policy and built environment change that is noticeable, replicable, and impactful.

“This led to self-reflection on where and how we focus our work. The conclusion was a continued emphasis on equitably promoting walking across the state and a clear need to move forward as WalkMassachusetts.

“In short, the name has changed, but the mission remains the same: making walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities.”