Birch Street Plaza
The Birch Street Plaza has transformed Birch Street, in Boston’s Roslindale Village, from a street for cars into a plaza for people.
In response to community desire to transform Birch Street into a pedestrian plaza, the City and design team conceptualized and installed a six-day pop-up plaza in Spring 2019. The temporary installation prototyped, in real-time, the locations of future plaza elements utilizing duct tape to replicate paving patterns, milk crates to mimic seating, and wooden dowels to visualize trees. Through in-person and online surveys, observation, and conversation the team gathered feedback from the community, directly informing the final design of the permanent Birch Street Plaza. Most permanent elements have arrived, including planters and benches and a street mural. Bistro tables and chairs will arrive Summer 2024, and lighting in Fall 2024.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Transportation
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1 City Hall Square
Room 721Boston, MA 02201-2026
2024 Construction Update
The Birch Street Plaza is coming alive! We love seeing people enjoying the new mural on the street, and the planters look great with trees and other vegetation. Bistro tables and furniture will continue filling out the space in Summer 2024. Overhead lighting will be installed in Fall 2024. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement about an "Open Birch Street" celebration event!
Project History
Since the pilot demonstration of Birch Street Plaza in Spring 2019, the plaza's approval for permanent transformation was formally announced in September 2019. The plaza's design was approved by the Public Improvement Commission later in the Fall of 2019. Subsequent legal agreements and construction documentation proceeded in late 2019 and early 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the Spring of 2020, implementation of the Birch Street Plaza as designed was temporarily paused as city priorities shifted to emergency response. However, Birch Street was pedestrianized in Summer 2020 without the elements in the approved plaza plans as part of the City's Healthy Streets and Outdoor Dining initiatives. Adjacent restaurants and breweries were able to utilize space on Birch Street for outdoor patios and community members, particularly Roslindale Village Main Streets, were able to use the street space for gathering and other outdoor programming. Since Spring 2021, Birch Street has remained as a year-round, car-free space with patios for adjacent businesses and open space for people to walk or recreate.
Plaza Design
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Still have questions? Contact:
Transportation
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1 City Hall Square
Room 721Boston, MA 02201-2026
