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Harbor Gardens A concept for Boston's Wharf District
Five principles for design and programming With the support and initiative of the Artery Business Committee, the Waterfront / Financial District Working Group was formed in 1998. Over the period of a year the Group worked together on ideas for design and programming that, as neighbors and abutters, they would like to see on Central Artery parcels 12 through 18. This diverse group of residents, office workers, owners, interest groups and non-profit organizations came to a consensus in supporting Five Principles for Design and Programming for this part of the city, finalized in a report in August 1999. This section of the Central Artery corridor is now known as the Wharf District, recognizing the history of the neighborhood as Boston's original waterfront as well as its potential for being a critical link between the city and the harbor. The Working Group offers this summary of the Five Principles as a contribution to the continuing dialogue.
Reinforce the character of the Wharf District
Reconnect the city with the harbor
Support and surround the open space with people and activities
Create a walkable and attractive environment
Ensure a high quality and attractive public realm
Information for this section was provided by the Artery Business Committee.
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Where the Central Artery corridor comes closest to the waterfront it passes through the city's economic core, the trading and financial center built around and upon the old harbor. Define the Wharf District by its topography and architecture with Dock Square as the head of the Harbor. Reveal the pattern of waterfront growth and recognize the characteristic of interlocking land and water. Waterfront development patterns may serve as cues for the design of open space. Where buildings once were may suggest the location of structures such as screens, pergolas, kiosks or cafeterias as well as tall plantings. Where basins once were may suggest water features such as pools, fountains or 'wet' paving.
The removal of the Central Artery viaduct creates an opportunity for the city to connect to its waterfront for the first time in fifty years. Develop open space in the Artery corridor as a link to the greater open space systems of the city and region - the Walk to the Sea, the Emerald Necklace, the Harborwalk, the Harbor Islands. Develop the Wharf waterfront as a Gateway to the Islands linking recreational space on land and water. Create a Harbor Threshold between the city and the water - link parcels 12 and 14 to Quincy Market, the North End and Waterfront Park. Link parcel 15 to the Custom House and the Aquarium. Link parcels 17 and 18 to Batterymarch, Broad and High Street from Rowe's Wharf. Frame and contain the view corridors and develop the cross streets as Fingers to the Sea.
Successful public open space, active or passive, depends upon people walking to or through the space, day and night, in all seasons. In developing open space in the Artery corridor, the overall goal must be to support the rich mix of activities that thrive in the surrounding areas. Residential, commercial, retail, recreational uses, all within walking distance of each other, will complement one another and develop vital street activity for a 24-hour per day, four season cycle. In addition, the tourist route through Quincy Market to the Aquarium must be sustained and expanded as a contributor to urban vitality, an attraction in itself as well as being a major source of income for the city.
Boston's quality as one of America's foremost walkable cities must be sustained by creating open space scaled to pedestrian height and speed as well as being lively and attractive at street level to provide interest for the walker. As a democratic and multicultural city, Boston must also strive for physical and social accessibility to a multiplicity of spaces, programs and institutions within the district and the broader downtown area. Containing and taming the impact of the automobile on the city streets will enhance the quality of open space for the pedestrian. Public transportation links to the waterfront will be vital to the success of the open space as will covering the access ramps, improving crosswalks, pedestrian lighting and signage, and providing public restrooms and information centers.
Public space, the sidewalks, the streets, parks and plazas, thrive on people using them intensely. But for the public realm to sustain itself as an attractive civic stage it must be relatively safe, clean and orderly. The collective act of faith in building high quality public amenities must be matched for generations to come by a commitment to maintain them to the standards to which they were built. Where the state and the city seek private funding to create and maintain this public open space, safeguards are necessary to ensure the integrity of the open space and adjoining facilities as steadfastly in the public realm, open and accessible to all.
