News
A NIGHT OF REAL ESTATE VISIONARIES
January 19, 2010
| Though we consider finding our polling place tonight enough of a challenge, ULI Boston and the attorneys at Goulston & Storrs insisted on some extra advanced planning last week, namely ?The City in 2050.? A roomful of developers, contractors, planners, designers, public officials, and lawyers stretched to envision how Boston can be bigger and better in four decades. |
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| G&S land use attorney Matthew Kiefer, ULI Boston's Stephanie Wasser, and '09 Boston mayoral candidate Sam Yoon. Moderator Matt?s take: the challenge for land-constrained Boston is to grow its population while remaining a historic and walkable city. The Hub?s ace in the hole: leading edge universities and hospitals equip it as a center for innovation. |
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| To those looking longingly at China for models of growth, Boston Redevelopment Authority planning director Kairos Shen has some advice. Know ?what Boston is and what it can be?;we'll never be Shanghai and shouldn?t try. But smart growth here means investing in the city and its infrastructure: public transit, parks, community amenities, and events. Kairos says it's time to think of new buildings not as solitary entities, but as multidisciplinary projects, components of the urban mix. |
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| As a panelist, Serrafix?s Doug Foy (left with James Shanley of Newburyport) says that ?betting on innovation means betting on our cities.? To prepare them for growth, we'll need a massive new transportation system that fosters town centers. But, Virginia, when it comes to investing in bricks and mortar, there is no Santa. Launching a big, new construction program would require new dollars. This longtime environmental advocate says that imposing a carbon tax might be one way to go. |
