Together, Let’s Keep
Moving Boston Forward
On January 8, 2015, Boston was given the incredible
opportunity to explore bidding for the 2024 Olympic summer games. It was a
historic moment that sparked a months-long discussion about our city’s future.
And from the very beginning, we were thinking about a future
for Boston much beyond the 2024 Olympics. We started thinking seriously about
what we wanted Boston to look like – in 2030, 2040, and the many years ahead.
Boston may not be pursuing the Olympics anymore. But that
doesn’t mean this conversation about our city’s future has to end. We’ve gained
so many bold and exciting ideas from the Olympic process. These are ideas that
shouldn’t be forgotten or ignored.
One of the great ideas that came out of this process was the
potential for Widett Circle. There may never be an Olympic stadium there. But
we could build a brand new neighborhood, connecting the South End and South
Boston. We could open up new opportunities for transit, with the Mass Ave.
connector to I-93 and the MBTA Red Line.
Another area we’re looking at is Columbia Point, a place
once considered to host the Olympic Village. We could build a neighborhood
here, too, filled with commercial and retail space, a community service center,
and maybe even dorms. This whole area could be transformed.
The bottom line is that the ideas, and the possibilities,
are endless. Right now, we are designing Imagine Boston 2030. It’s our first
city-wide planning process in 50 years. We will look at how to incorporate the
ideas born out of the Olympic bid process. We’ll be looking for new ideas, too.
We are excited to welcome Sara Myerson as our Executive
Director of Imagine Boston 2030. She did incredible work serving as our city’s
Director of the Office of Olympic Planning. She will continue her leadership in
guiding us through this multi-year planning process and mapping out a plan to
make Boston a truly thriving, healthy, and innovative city.
Now is the time for us to think bigger than ever before.
Boston is currently in its third biggest building boom. More and more people
are moving to our city all the time. We need to accommodate this new growth.
And we need to make sure that while we grow bigger, we grow better.
Designing this citywide plan will be an exciting and dynamic
journey. And public engagement is the heart of this process. Imagine Boston
2030 only works if we are building it together. So we are asking for input from
every Bostonian, in every neighborhood, to create this new vision for our city.
I invite you all to be a part of this discussion, and to let your voice be
heard during this historic time for Boston.
