Last draft of Imagine Boston 2030 plan released

The plan identifies key actions to guide Boston's growth to expand the opportunity, increase affordability, and improve quality of life in Boston.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the release of the last draft of the Imagine Boston 2030 Plan, a framework for Boston's growth to expand opportunity, increase affordability and improve quality of life in the City based on the input of over 14,000 residents from every neighborhood. The release of the draft plan kicks off a month-long comment period before the final Imagine Boston plan is released in the summer 2017.

"Imagine Boston 2030 takes a holistic approach to our planning efforts to ensure that our City grows in an equitable and sustainable way," said Mayor Walsh. "I am proud to share this next iteration of the plan, which incorporates the feedback from thousands of residents who helped refine our shared vision for the future of Boston. From Suffolk Downs to Readville, Franklin Park to Sullivan Square, we're shaping the City's future together -- every corner, every neighborhood -- and I look forward to seeing how Boston will grow and thrive."

Boston is experiencing an economic and population boom, and with that brings an opportunity to provide new and additional pathways for economic mobility and avenues to improve quality of life throughout the City, while boosting affordability and resiliency. Imagine Boston identifies five action areas to guide Boston's growth, enhancement and preservation:

Enhance neighborhoods: Improve urban vitality and affirm each neighborhood's distinct identity by investing in the public realm, strengthening neighborhood services and connectivity, and encouraging opportunities for development.
- For example, in Upham's Corner, the City will strengthen the community's historic main street fabric, emphasizing economic mobility and local innovation, fostering local arts, preserving affordability, and preventing displacement.
Encourage a mixed-use core: Encourage a dense, walkable core in our job centers where more people live, work and gather.
- For example, in the Shawmut Peninsula, historic preservation, strategic growth, and public realm investments can support an active mixed-use vision, including developing a Shawmut Peninsula 2100 Plan that considers major infrastructure projects, land use, and policies.
Expand neighborhoods: In six transit-accessible areas at the edges of existing neighborhoods, guide new housing and commercial growth, supported by public realm and climate investments. Plans for each of the expanded neighborhoods will integrate land use regulations and capital investments and will be guided by community planning processes:

Sullivan Square: A walkable, mixed-use center for the innovation economy that builds on momentum of nearby economic activity and transit access.

Newmarket and Widett Circle: An area where critical industrial uses will be preserved and strengthened, while transit-oriented job and housing growth will strengthen connections to neighboring areas.

Fort Point Channel: An active, urban waterfront where mixed-use development and a vibrant public realm transform how Downtown and the South Boston Waterfront meet and how Bostonians interact with the water.

Suffolk Downs: A lively, mixed use community, including quality transit and open space that responds to the surrounding marsh and river environment.

Readville: A center for 21st century manufacturing that creates quality jobs, and encourages transit-oriented development.

Beacon Yards: A new transit hub and center for innovation, research and housing that expands the boundaries of the core west.

Create a waterfront for future generations: Create a waterfront for all Bostonians by activating open spaces, connecting neighborhoods to the waterfront, creating sustainable funding models, and investing in proactive climate planning and infrastructure.
- Imagine Boston will do this by activating an urban waterfront in Fort Point Channel and South Boston waterfront, support large connected open spaces at Beacon Yards, foster signature open spaces such at Suffolk Downs, connect neighborhoods to the waterfront through the completion of the Emerald Necklace, encourage a modern, industrial innovation district at Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, and develop climate resilience plans.
Generate networks of opportunity in the Fairmount Corridor: Expand access to opportunity and reduce disparities in the neighborhoods along the Fairmount Corridor through coordinated investments in transportation, neighborhood vibrancy and education.
- The plan identifies ways to invest in enhanced neighborhood Main Streets and transit station areas, improve transportation connections, frequency and experience along the Fairmount/Indigo Line to increase access for residents, support job growth and training in transit accessible areas, invest in quality pre-K and K-12 education for the growing school-aged populations in the corridor, invest in Franklin Park and Columbia Road, and implement anti-displacement policies to ensure that existing communities benefit from investments.

Initiatives: The final plan is supported by guiding principles and initiatives that bring together and build on the City's planning efforts, including Boston Creates, Go Boston 2030, Climate Ready Boston, Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030, BuildBPS, Economic Equity Agenda, Age Friendly Boston, Vision Zero, Boston's Resilience Strategy and more. The initiatives outline commitments around anti-displacement, immigrant advancement, climate planning and flood protection, universal pre-kindergarten, community planning and land use, and more.

The full report is available at imagine.boston.gov. The City of Boston welcomes public comment, edits and feedback including via email to imagine@boston.gov. A copy of this document will be available for the public to access at each branch of the Boston Public Libraries. All public comment should be submitted by June 19.