An official website of the City of Boston
About Us
Contact Us
Careers
Get Involved
News
Calendar
Translate Page
Google Translate
Neighborhoods
Planning & Zoning
Urban Design
Development
Research
3D Data & Maps
Real Estate
Procurement
Home
Neighborhoods
Allston
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Back Bay
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Bay Village
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Beacon Hill
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Brighton
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Charlestown
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Navy Yard Master Plan Implementation
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Chinatown
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Dorchester
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Downtown
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
East Boston
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Fenway
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Hyde Park
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Jamaica Plain
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Leather District
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Longwood Medical Area
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Mattapan
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Mission Hill
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
North End
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Roslindale
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Roxbury
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
South Boston
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
South Boston Waterfront
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
South End
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
West End
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
West Roxbury
At a Glance
BPDA Owned Land
Documents
Events
News
Planning
Projects
Research Publications
Planning & Zoning
Our Team
Comprehensive Planning Team
Zoning Reform Team
Planning Review Team
Waterfront Planning (MGL Ch.91)
Boston Zoning Code
Zoning Commission
Current Planning Initiatives
Current Zoning Initiatives
Chinatown Rezoning Process
Enabling Accessory Dwelling Units
Neighborhood Housing
Citywide Child Care Zoning
Definitions
2024 Net Zero Carbon Zoning Initiative
Federal Flood Hazard Zoning Updates
Open Space Zoning Districts
Resident & Property Owner Zoning Petitions for Text Amendments
Resident & Property Owner Zoning Petitions for Map Amendments
Sign Code Modernization
Squares + Streets Zoning Districts
Zoning for Parking and Loading
Cannabis Establishments
Look up ZBA Reports
Find My Zoning
Boston Smart Utilities
Background and History
Urban Design
What is Urban Design?
Urban Design Resources
Urban Design Initiatives
Boston Design Vision
Greening While Growing
Sign Code Modernization
Boston Civic Design Commission
Commissioner Biographies
BCDC Meetings and Minutes
Storefront & Signage
Sustainability and Resilience Review
Article 25A Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay District
Article 37 Green Building
Climate Resilience Building Case Study
E+ Green Building Program
Mass Timber Accelerator
2024 Net Zero Carbon Zoning Initiative
Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS)
Development
Article 80 Records Library
Development Projects & Plans
Institutional Master Plans
Overview
Higher Education
Hospitals
What is Development Review?
What is Article 80?
Large Projects
Small Projects
Planned Development Areas
Institutional Master Plans
Mitigation & Impact Advisory Groups
Development Standards
Accessibility Guidelines and Checklist
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Article 80
Article 25A Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay District
Article 37 Green Building and Climate Resiliency Guidelines
Article 80 Design Review Broadband Ready Buildings Questionnaire
Building Wraps
Day Care Facility Requirement
DEI in Development Policy
Developer Compliance
Inclusionary Development Policy
Language Access Plan for Article 80
Life Sciences Action Agenda
Life Science Building Design Guidelines
Linkage
Smart Utilities Checklist
Improving Our Development Review Process
Office to Residential Conversion Program
Developer Portal
3D Data & Maps
3D Smart Model
About 3D
Citywide 3D Model
3D Data Download
Map Library
Citywide Maps
Electoral Maps
Map Atlases
Atlascope Boston
Mapjunction
Neighborhood Maps
Urban Renewal
Zoning Maps
GIS Data & Mapping Resources
Research
Division Overview
Frequently Requested Information
Research Publications
2020 Census
MyDemographic Viewer
Boston Stories and Numbers
Domestic Migration Map
Economic Indicators Dashboard
Employment Map
Exploring Neighborhood Change
Exploring Land Use and Value
Mapping Diversity in Boston
Research Inquiries
Data Sets
Real Estate
Overview
BPDA Owned Land
Real Estate Decarbonization Strategy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Requirements for Public Land Dispositions
Disposition Projects
Commercial Spaces for Lease
Coastal Resilience Delivery Team
Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park
Urban Renewal
Urban Renewal
Urban Renewal Areas
Urban Renewal Dashboard
Procurement
Equitable Procurement
Buying Plan
Procurement Portal
Vendor Resources
About Us
About the Planning Cabinet
About the Planning Department
Leadership
Divisions
Office of the Chief of Planning
Communications
Community Engagement Managers
Development Review
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Language Access
Executive Director/ Secretary's Office
Finance
General Counsel
Information Technology
Planning & Zoning
Planning Advisory Council
Real Estate
Urban Design
Research
BPDA Board
Board Meetings
Meet the Board
Planning Advisory Council
History
Glossary
Careers
Career Opportunities
Internship and Contractor Opportunities
Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park
Model Room
Get Involved
Contact Us
Public Records Request
Copyright and Disclaimer
News & Calendar
News & Updates
Calendar
BPDA Board
Contact Us
Get Involved
Glossary
Search BostonPlans.org
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
News & Calendar
News & Updates
Calendar
News & Updates
BRA and West End Museum partner on exhibition that highlights past, present, and future of urban renewal
Sep 09, 2015
Opening reception evening of September 24
Photo courtesy of Charles Frani, The West End Museum
In what might have been an unlikely partnership until recently, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the West End Museum are collaborating on an exhibition about urban renewal. The museum, which is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the West End, and the BRA, which played a controversial role in dramatically reshaping the neighborhood by demolishing vast sections of it for redevelopment during the 1950s and 1960s, will co-host an opening reception for
Dewey Defeats Truman/The Housing Act of 1949
on September 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, coincides with the BRA’s effort to extend its urban renewal authority for another ten years. The powers, which were last extended in 2005, provide the BRA with tools to support redevelopment and revitalization of Boston’s neighborhoods. The BRA will showcase maps, archival photos and documents, and other information from the ongoing extension process as part of
The Future of Urban Renewal in Boston,
a smaller exhibition designed to complement the West End Museum’s feature exhibit.
Photo courtesy of Boston City Archives
“Demonstrating urban renewal’s continued value and explaining our much different approach to using the tools nowadays is one of our biggest challenges,” said BRA Director Brian Golden. “This exhibit is a great way to showcase the evolution of urban renewal and share some of what we’ve heard at community meetings. I want to thank the West End Museum and its staff for their willingness and enthusiasm to work together.”
The title of the museum’s exhibition is a nod to an infamous – and inaccurate – headline from a November 1948 edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune that incorrectly stated President Harry S. Truman had lost his campaign for re-election. Having actually won re-election, President Truman would go on to establish the Housing Act of 1949 in response to mounting demand for housing nationally. The legislation provided cities across the country with funding for “slum clearance,” a controversial urban renewal strategy at the time.
Although it helped jumpstart Boston’s long-term economic growth, the redevelopment of the West End and Scollay Square (now Government Center) are often cited as examples of urban renewal’s overreach, as large areas of the old city were demolished to make way for new housing and infrastructure such as highways.
“Regardless of how well-intentioned federal urban renewal may have been, the ultimate result for the West End was the complete destruction of a vibrant, tight-knit community and the displacement of thousands of families who called that neighborhood home,” said Duane Lucia, West End Museum Curator.
Curators at the
West End Museum
, which also include Bill Kuttner and Jim Briand for this exhibit, will focus on the historical significance of urban renewal and its role in redefining the neighborhood. Staff from the BRA’s planning and graphic design departments, meanwhile, will highlight how urban renewal can be used as a contemporary planning and economic development strategy. The exhibition will be on display until January 2016.
The BRA hosted a series of community meetings and workshops this year that acknowledged urban renewal’s checkered past, while informing residents about its usefulness today. The agency is soliciting ideas from the public for updating the goals of each urban renewal area so that they reflect current urban planning priorities.
People can visit
www.bostonurbanrenewal.org
to learn more and to submit comments. The website has information about how urban renewal tools have been used recently, all presentations from the BRA’s community meetings, the original urban renewal plan documents, and reference maps. As part of the extension process, the BRA has also digitized and uploaded over 700 historical photos from its archives to the website.
Based on community feedback, the BRA will refine the goals and planning objectives for each urban renewal area before hosting public forums in the fall to present the findings and discuss next steps for the extension process. The agency is seeking a ten-year extension for 14 of the city’s 16 active urban renewal plan areas, which expire in April 2016. The Boston City Council, BRA Board of Directors, and the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development must approve the request.
Boston is just one of 31 cities and towns in Massachusetts with active urban renewal plans.
Share This Article:
Previous
Next
Subscribe to our News & Updates
*
indicates required
First Name :
Last Name :
Zip Code :
*
Email: