The new 23-acre Seaport Square in the South Boston waterfront district will bring a mix of uses and ample parkland to a former railroad property.
Designed by architects KPF and backed by a developer team led by Boston Global Investors, the 6.3 million square foot project will include retail, office, hotel, civic and cultural spaces, with nearly 40 percent of the site reserved for green space. The city hopes the $3 billion development will draw high-tech and creative companies and provide affordable housing.
However, some city official are concerned about handing over such a large site to a single developer, notes Ted Smalley Brown:
'While the plan's approval is encouraging, city officials are wary of getting left with acres of vacant sites should the development stall out. Indeed, Boston Global Investors CEO John Hynes III played a lead role in a condo and office tower on the site of the former Filene's department store in nearby Downtown Crossing-a project that notoriously stalled after demolition and excavation in 2008.'
FULL STORY: Boston's Seaport Square Sails Ahead
Boston’s Seaport District, Where Building Started Before Flood Preparation
The Boston waterfront has been booming, but the area is extremely vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Measures to address those risks have come just recently.
Development Overtakes Open Space in Boston's Seaport District
Planners worry that the success of the waterfront district has led to its overdevelopment.
Something's Missing in Boston's Reinvented Seaport
Boston would hardly seem capable of resembling "Anytown, USA" but that might be precisely what's happening in the Seaport neighborhood of the city's waterfront.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research