Imagine Boston 2030 Goal 4: Invest in infrastructure, open space, and culture

Boston’s parks, cultural institutions and infrastructure have long provided a foundation for the city’s growth, attracting new residents and jobs and differentiating Boston from other cities. Through Imagine Boston, we will provide a roadmap for investing in these assets to ensure that they meet the needs of a growing, increasingly diverse population and support the range of businesses that fuel our economy.

How can we achieve this goal? Our emerging strategies to invest in infrastructure, open space and culture are:

• Provide affordable, reliable 21st century mobility infrastructure in all neighborhoods, including safe multi-modal streets, new travel options and enhanced access to job centers and key services
• Build and enhance open space that accommodates a range of activities and residents of all ages
• Ensure a clean and vibrant public realm across all Boston’s neighborhoods
• Create and strengthen cultural offerings to reflect our diverse population and attract talent and tourism

Why are we setting this goal? This goal responds to Boston’s challenges and builds on its strengths:

• Boston has a strong foundation of open space and cultural institutions but neighborhoods have uneven access to quality open space, main streets and culture. Many storied cultural institutions are concentrated in a few neighborhoods, resulting in barriers to access. While 16% of the City’s land area is park or open space, the quality of these areas varies.
• While Boston led the nation in developing reliable mass transit, today, access to dependable, efficient transportation options vary significantly between neighborhoods. Many low-income and minority communities are chronically underserved by transit.
• Critical assets including transit, public realm and parks are in need of significant funding for maintenance, modernization and expansion.

To reach this goal, we need to invest in infrastructure, open space and culture to ensure that Bostonians live in dynamic urban neighborhoods and that Boston’s businesses and institutions continue to grow and thrive.

Want to provide feedback on these strategies or add your ideas about how Boston can guide growth?  Please weigh in now on where Boston should grow.

^[1] City of Boston Open Data; Mass GIS