Boston and the entire state is puffing out its collective chest just a little bit more this morning with the announcement that General Electric is moving its worldwide headquarters to the Seaport […]
Growth and Development
Posted inOpinion
In Newtonville, smart growth is taking hold
Photos from 1984 by Bill Dain; photos from 2015 by Amy Dain. TAKE OUT YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS for a moment. You might need it to see some of changes in […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Closed doors
Photographs by Michael Manning IN NEWTON, WHERE single-family home values are creeping into the million-dollar range, few things trigger more raw emotion than proposals for affordable housing. That emotion […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Baker unveils new development approach
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A NEW WORKING GROUP will facilitate the revitalization of the city of Lynn, using expedited permitting and coordinating development of sites with cross-jurisdictional issues, the Baker […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Carrying the Bay State’s water
Although Massachusetts is currently experiencing a moderate drought, the Bay State is unlikely to experience water problems of California-sized proportions. But the Bay State does have a major water problem, it’s […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Funding transportation beyond state taxation
The gas tax indexing defeat left Massachusetts cities and towns scrambling to figure out where new dollars to fund roads, bridges, and mass transit repairs would come from. With state […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Biking and driving on the streets of Boston
Cyclists are some of the most passionate advocates that the Bay State’s transportation sector has ever seen. Thanks to the pressure of bike advocates, bike lanes have been carved out […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Green Line extension could take a lot more green
Nearly 11 months ago, the federal government promised Massachusetts almost $1 billion to help the state extend the MBTA’s Green Line into Somerville and Medford. At the time, nearly everyone […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
It’s time for Boston 3.0
SO NOW WHAT? Our Olympic wrestling match is over. The international sports spectacle will move on to another venue, most likely in Europe, and most Bostonians (in our unerring spirit […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 1: We’re not facing an energy crisis in New England
First of a three-part series NEW ENGLAND’S ENERGY SYSTEM is at an important juncture, but we are not facing a crisis. After last year’s winter, many argued for radical action […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Imagining the transportation nightmares of Cape Cod and Western Mass.
Transportation problems in places like Cape Cod and Western Massachusetts get overshadowed in the handwringing over how the state’s economic fortunes unravel when the metro Boston transit system is out […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Baker puts convention center expansion on hold
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE PLANNED $1 BILLION expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center has been frozen indefinitely by Gov. Charlie Baker, whose administration on Wednesday expressed deep […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Economy, Politics, State House News Service
Gun advocates protest billboards
A war of words over words erupted this week as gun rights advocates checkmated Boston developer John Rosenthal’s effort to spread his anti-gun violence message across Massachusetts via billboards. The […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Battle for MBTA’s soul underway
As the task to slice and dice the MBTA’s historic collapse gets underway, a battle royale has erupted anew between two camps of transportation influencers who can be loosely described as […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
On Fairmount Line, opportunity knocks
THE BLIZZARD OF 1888 left Boston gridlocked, and over 1,000 people died in its wake. Tragic as the storm was, there was a substantial silver lining. This catastrophe is often cited as the impetus […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download, Transportation
South Coast Rail — always just around the bend
Gov. Deval Patrick threw $60 million at South Coast Rail on Monday, and he told New Bedford and Fall River residents that they’re thisclose to finally getting their commuter train […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Walsh calls BRA a mess
Shoddy record-keeping and weak management inside the Boston Redevelopment Authority have cost Boston’s powerful development agency millions of dollars in unpaid fees and lease payments, an outside audit of the […]
Posted inEconomy
Walsh gives Chiofaro an opening on garage
The view from Grain Exchange Boston Mayor Marty Walsh wasn’t in the room Wednesday afternoon, when the developer Don Chiofaro unveiled his latest bid at demolishing a hulking waterfront parking […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Opinion
Turning brown to gold
For years, the corner of Gerrish Avenue and Highland Street in Chelsea was a weed-strewn lot. The neighborhood had a long industrial past, once home to box factories, a machine […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Back Story
Meade sought legal advice on Red Sox invite
On June 25, 2012, Peter Meade got to do what most Boston fans only dream of doing: He filled in as the public address announcer at Fenway Park as the […]
Posted inEconomy
BRA lawyers don’t do eminent domain
The Boston Redevelopment Authority has eight attorneys on staff, but apparently none of them are qualified to do eminent domain work. Records indicate the agency farms out the eminent domain […]
Posted inEconomy
City maker’s mark
Jesse Baerkahn believes in cities. He feeds off their energy. And he knows that unique, vibrant, inviting urban spaces don’t happen by accident. Quality urban neighborhoods take thought and long […]
Posted inEconomy
Fish raises concerns on income inequality
One of the state’s leading businessmen said on Tuesday that economic growth in Massachusetts will not be possible unless the population starts growing and income inequality is addressed. John Fish, […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Politics
MAYOR MATTERS: Steady start
Fifth in a series Boston’s next mayor will face a range of crucial issues when he assumes office in January. Three areas that should receive particular attention, however, are the […]