Category: Event

“Senior strong! Everyone belongs! Kids cross here, be aware, please don’t run us down!”

“Senior strong! Everyone belongs! Kids cross here, be aware, please don’t run us down!”

By |

“Senior strong! Everyone belongs! Kids cross here, be aware, please don’t run us down!” With creative chants, colorful signs, and African and Japanese drumming, a large and spirited group of seniors and teenagers rallied and marched in Boston’s Grove Hall neighborhood for safer streets and pedestrian crossings. The demonstration took place as part of the Elderly Commission’s Summer Sidewalk Series celebrating the first year of Age-Friendly Boston.

Many drivers got the Grove Hall group’s message as they slowed down upon seeing the lively crowd, with some even honking their horns in support. Others however continued to speed through the crosswalks, with some clearly distracted on their phones. This highlighted a strong need for permanent built environment improvements to slow traffic down and improve walking safety.

As part of our Age-Friendly Walking initiative, WalkBoston looks forward to our continued work to advance these goals in Grove Hall and all over Boston. We also encourage folks to join us outside the State House on July 11 at 12:30pm for a rally in support of hands-free legislation to reduce distracted driving. Working together and across generations, we can create safer streets for all.

Event: Rally to Pass Hands-Free Bill In Massachusetts, July 11th – 12:30pm

Event: Rally to Pass Hands-Free Bill In Massachusetts, July 11th – 12:30pm

By |

Please join us on your lunch break this Wednesday, July 11th at 12:30pm on the State House steps. We will have signs, lemonade and a really important message for the legislature to hear: We are gathering to show our elected officials that we cannot and will not wait another year to pass a Hands-Free law in MA. Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roads, and a hands-free bill is a first step to solving the problem and making our roads safer.

Rich Levitan and Anna Cheshire Levitan, parents of the late Merritt Levitan and leaders of Text Less Live More, a national education and awareness campaign, joined Radio Boston on Monday.

More info and updates at the Facebook event page

Event: Cambridge to Allston Walk

Event: Cambridge to Allston Walk

By |

We will meet on the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) steps that face the Lowell House construction site. To reach the MAC steps from Harvard Square, walk down Dunster Street, cross Mt. Auburn Street to Winthrop Street (one block south of Mt Auburn Street). Take a left onto Winthrop Street at a right onto Holyoke Street.

Joe Beggan, WalkBoston board member and Senior Manager for Transportation Planning at Harvard’s Allston Initiatives program will lead the tour from Cambridge to Allston.

In Cambridge Linda Kuczynski, Project Manager for Harvard’s House Renewal Program, will discuss the construction activities at Lowell House and the larger program that is transforming the University’s Neo-Georgian River Houses.

Once we leave the MAC, we will walk to the Weeks Bridge to take a moment to discuss the bridge and enjoy the river views. We will then cross the river and pass through the Business School Campus to the i-lab on Western Avenue. We will be joined in Allston by Ed Leflore, Principal and Founder of CSL Consultants, to talk about Harvard’s consultation projects in Allston including the new Science and Engineering Complex on Western Avenue.

Our next to last stop is the “Grove” at Barry’s Corner. We will finish the walk at Zone 3 Allston’s “Aeronaut Allston” summertime musical beer garden series for food, drink and conversation. EDIT: the beer garden closed for the chance of rain, so we’re ending at Our Fathers, the restaurant across from the Grove.

WalkBoston and partners host Chelsea Walk: Eastern Ave to Broadway!

WalkBoston and partners host Chelsea Walk: Eastern Ave to Broadway!

By |

On May 2nd, WalkBoston and community partners hosted a free walk in Chelsea to highlight local walkability, transit and development projects and opportunities, while also emphasizing the need to maintain affordability and prevent displacement. Thanks so much to the 50+ people who attended, especially our speakers and co-hosts: GreenRoots, The Neighborhood Developers, TransitMatters, Transportation for Massachusetts, the City of Chelsea, and LOCUS Massachusetts. See photos on Facebook.

The walk began after a group of WalkBoston staff, partners and supporters rode the new MBTA Silver Line (SL3) from South Station to Chelsea to meet another group of walkers at the new Eastern Ave Station. As we walked along the new multi-use Chelsea Greenway and down Broadway, we heard from a number of speakers who highlighted the need to think holistically about community development and transportation.

Maria Belen Power of GreenRoots spoke powerfully about the imperative for transit justice and equitable fares in low-income communities of color like Chelsea. Marc Ebuña of TransitMatters described the history of the SL3 project and the need for better bus service across metro Boston. Aaron Wasserman of The Neighborhood Developers and Elijah Plymesser of LOCUS Massachusetts highlighted the Box District as an example of affordable housing and transit-oriented development that can advance a broader smart growth agenda. Alex Train from the City of Chelsea described his work to advance Complete Streets that work for all road users. Finally, youth from GreenRoots’ ECO Teens program highlighted the potential to transform the underutilized Chelsea Walk into a community destination (support their crowdfunding campaign here!).

The spirited conversations that began on the walk continued over food and drinks at Tijuana Restaurant on Broadway. Special thanks to LOCUS Massachusetts for sponsoring the appetizers! 

Moving forward, WalkBoston will build off our past work in Chelsea and stay engaged in the community. Having conducted walk audits in the Sector 4 and Park Square neighborhoods in 2017, we now look forward to improving pedestrian safety on Marginal Street as Chelsea develops its broader Harbor Plan. We will also continue to support the city’s Re-imagining Broadway project, as well as other forthcoming Complete Streets initiatives. You can stay in the loop about WalkBoston’s work in Chelsea here.
Event: Unchoking the Charles River Throat

Event: Unchoking the Charles River Throat

By |

How can walking & biking connections to the river parklands from Allston, Brookline, and Downtown be part of the MassDOT I-90 Allston Reconstruction?

RSVP on Eventbrite or Facebook

April 10, 2018 6:00 – 8:00pm Fort Point Room / Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress St

Presentations by:

Joe Beggan, Harvard University
Alan Mountjoy, NBBJ
Mark Dawson, Sasaki
Michael Nichols, Esplanade Association

Panel discussion and audience Q&A moderated by ArchitectureBoston editor Renée Loth with:

Jim Aloisi, Former MassDOT Secretary
Antonio DiMambro, urban planner
Tom Doolittle, Boston Society of Landscape Architects
Emily Saul, November Project Boston co-leader
Kishore Varanasi, CBT

Discussion will include:

  • Wadsworth Path, an at-grade People’s Pike path connecting Allston Village, West Station, and Franklin St footbridge
  • Footbridges over at-grade I-90
  • Separated paths on boardwalk/fill in the “throat”
  • Straightened path under BU Bridge & rebuilt Grand Junction / Soldiers Field Road Bridge

Media from the campaign (in case you missed it):