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Richard Desjardins
Boston Voyages
Professor Lois Ascher
September 17, 2016
Public Space or Public Green Space
Public space nowadays in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a large urban city is easy
to come by. Older cities such as Boston were not designed around the idea of large open public
spaces. Due to the population booms within these large cities, officials started implementing
urban renewal plans so people can have breathing room. Public spaces are the essence of a citys
life and are what make them thrive. They create areas where a diverse population intermingle
with one another, a place for children to play, people to eat, individuals to traverse the city, and
to simply relax outdoors. Research has started to show how nature benefits ones health and how
people tend to flock towards green spaces and stray from the large paved plazas within the city.
Through the site visit to City Hall Plaza and the North End Parks along the Rose F. Kennedy
Greenway, two of Bostons largest urban renewal plans, the difference in the use of the public
spaces is dramatically different.
Large scale urban renewal projects can be poorly designed like the 56-acre City Hall
Plaza, formerly Scollay Square, which is now a large concrete pad placed in the west end. In
1949 government issued Urban Renewal plans were being tested. These were considered to be
forms of slum clearance and government officials were looking for slums in a good location
and the West End fit the mold. By the work of Mayor Hynes the congested and poor working
class West End was demolished. Over 700 buildings and 2,700 household were destroyed.
Home owners were given no choice but to accept $100 and to leave. After its demolition,
proposal of Government Center was made in the 1950s. There were restrictions made on the new
plot of land and future City Hall. Kallman, McKinnell & Knowles had to allow for views to
historic landmarks such as the Customs House, Faneuil Hall, and the Old North Church. The

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ideas behind the building were astounding. For instance, concepts to connect people to the
surrounding area by allowing views through the structure and open up the bottom floors at
ground level to the public. Instead, you feel like there was a giant concrete building looming
above which is about to crumble on top of you due to the upside down ziggurat look. This bold
structure only scares people away due to the sheer heaviness of the structure and the confusing
maze like base with stairs, ramps, and hard to find entrances.
The concept of a large plaza sounded like a great idea where people can congregate
together and create pedestrian access to Faneuil Hall and the Harbor. The space may be large and
public but it looks deserted. People only use this site to walk through it to reach the other side.
The only time the objective of a plaza as a meeting space is met is during large events such as;
the ending location of sports victory parades, Boston calling, and events alike. Kevin Lynch
describes landmarks as places people look towards for direction. When youre within the site all
you see are landmarks around you but Government Center is just a place with a landmarks
name. After visiting the project all one can see is the above and how large of a failure this
Urban Renewal plan was, especially since the plaza looks barren.
Public green space in the middle of a concrete jungle is tough to find at the same scale as
City Hall Plaza. Within Boston, there are only a few locations where one can enjoy green space
at similar scales, like the Emerald Necklace Parks. There are public spaces designed to
incorporate natural elements like water, trees, and grass such as the Christian Science Center
Plaza and Copley Square. Even though these locations arent entirely green they integrate nature
into a city where it is hard to find. In my opinion, one of the most successful public green spaces
in Boston, despite its flaws, is The Greenway.
Another one of the cities large urban renewal plans was the big dig. The idea of hiding
Interstate 93 underground came about when the city finally realized that the congestion and

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multiple on and off ramps into the city put too much stress on drivers and the city. There were
only a few connections beneath the overpass to the North End and the Harbor from the rest of the
city. The elevated highway created a large scar in the citys footprint. A way to connect these
neighborhoods was to introduce a 1.5-mile-long green space on top of the new underground
interstate. Kevin Lynch describes a path as a space that has a clear direction from one place to
another. The Greenway may not serve as a path connecting Chinatown and the North End but, it
acts like a gateway from neighborhood to neighborhood. To that point, it is a public space where
tourists and people from different neighborhoods can interact with one another.
The Greenway introduces activities and spaces of relaxation in the middle of the active
city. Unlike City Hall Plaza, The Greenways design and features make people want to go there
and relax creating a very diverse space. Each one of the five parks is different, however, they
have their similarities of garden spaces. Nature soothes people and being surrounded by green in
a large city distracts them from the noise and the stress. Every park has an area devoted to
flowers and trees that create shade and an attractive space which ultimately invites people from
the surrounding neighborhoods and tourists to relax and unwind. People are not the only animals
utilizing the parks green spaces, wildlife call this place home. This allows people to start to
escape real life and imagine of being outside of the city in the forest with birds chirping and
rabbits hopping along. One of the most successful parks is The Fort Point Channel Park. People
walk slightly below grade in-between tall trees, shrubs, and flowers that create shade and a small
sound barrier from the traffic. The North End Park is another good example. This park has an
elevated path in which people walk along on top of gravel, introducing a crunching sound
between shrubs and beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. The travelers are
invited to sit down on wooden benches tucked into the landscape where they can eat lunch or
read listening to others walk by and birds masking the sounds of the city.

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There are also interactive and changeable features along The Greenway which appeal to a
wide variety of ages. Right between the Faneuil Hall and Christopher Columbus Park, there is a
carousel with a wide variety of animals in the form of an art piece calling children to come ride
it. Each park has permanent or semi-permanent public art for people to interact with. The Warf
Park and North End Park both have fountains where children run through on hot sunny days. The
sound of the water coming down onto the concrete also helps mask the sounds of the city
introducing a quaint space to sit and relax. There are large grass covered areas where you see
people playing frisbee, tossing a football or lying out on a blanket enjoying lunch. There are still
paved places along the Greenway where food trucks and vendors can set up shop introducing
artisans and food allowing people to shop and eat right on The Greenway. Despite being
crammed between two busy streets people enjoy The Greenway as a place to relax, travel, play,
and eat. It was extremely hard for people to believe that The Greenway would be a success but
after visiting I believe The Greenway was one of the most successful projects in Boston just by
seeing the diversity in activities and people mingling.
Urban renewal projects can either be a failure like City Hall Plaza and its 56-acre
concrete pad or a raging success like The Greenway. Public spaces come in many different forms
from subway stops to streets. After the failure of Government Center the term Urban Renewal
left a bad taste in Bostonians mouths, especially those from the West Ends and mine. It was hard
to trust governmental officals to make decisions to an urban plan after that. The best form of
public space in an Urban Renewal plan is the green space and The Greenway is a perfect model
of what designers should continue to implement for future urban renewal projects.