At long last, Boston's Columbus Center will break ground this year. Upon completion, the 35-story mixed-use project will finally reconnect four blocks of the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods, which have long been separated by Interstate 90.
"When Kenneth A. Himmel finished building Copley Place over the Massachusetts Turnpike in 1984, he figured it would soon be part of a long line of development that would hide the highway and connect neighborhoods.
Two decades later I-90 still divides the city.
'I thought it would all be covered,' said Himmel, who was Copley Place's project manager and is now chief executive of Related Urban Development of New York, a development company. 'It would be a sort of boulevard of height running from downtown.'
This spring, after a decade in the planning, the next project over the turnpike is set to break ground. The $624 million Columbus Center will rise above a 1,500-foot-long deck over the highway, extending the Prudential Center tunnel to the east and joining Boston's historic Back Bay and South End neighborhoods."
FULL STORY: Building On The Pike
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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