“Framingham has been approved for a $50,000 Transit Oriented Development (TOD) grant for preliminary design of pedestrian improvements near the MBTA station,” according to an e-mail from William Hanson, chair of the Framingham Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The town applied for the state grant last fall (see post) .
TOD is aimed at creating “compact, [...]
Archive for February, 2007
Framingham Wins $50K Transit-Oriented Development Grant
February 27, 2007What We Can Learn From the Battle Over Atlantic Yards
February 25, 2007Is the proposal for a 22-acre development in Brooklyn – including a sports arena and 16 residential skyscrapers – a boon for New York City, or an overdevelopment that will overpopulate and ruin a thriving borough neighborhood?
The debate over Atlantic Yards is heating up as construction begins on the 22-acre site. Supporters say it will [...]
Where are the most pedestrians injured in Framingham? I crunch the data and find out
February 20, 2007Roughly 40% of accidents where vehicles injured pedestrians occurred on just three roads in Framingham: Concord Street, Waverly Street and Route 9.
That’s according to an analysis of Massachusetts Highway Department data from 2003 to 2005. Mass Highway received the information from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
If my coding of the accident data is correct, the [...]
$2M Arts District Upgrade, Homeless Shelter Collide
February 18, 2007Framingham isn’t alone in wrestling with how social services fit in to hoped-for downtown revitalization. From the Denton (Tex.) Record-Chronicle:
“When city officials developed plans for an arts corridor along Hickory Street, they envisioned a pedestrian-friendly avenue with galleries, restaurants, music venues and public art.
“A homeless shelter wasn’t in the picture.
“Meanwhile, Sons of Thunder Motorcycle Ministries [...]
Study: Outsourcing Could Cost Boston 3% of its 2004 Jobs
February 13, 2007The Lowell area may lose up to 4.3% of jobs that existed in 2004 to offshoring, according to a new Brookings Institution report, while the Boston metro area is expected to lose 2.6% to 3% of such jobs by 2015. IT jobs will be among the hardest hit, the report predicts, with some regions – [...]
Appealing Streetscapes Need Visual Interest
February 12, 2007I agree with Kansas City Star columnist E. Thomas McClanahan, who notes that a “healthy urban districts need street fronts thick with detail — buildings with grand entrances, clear windows, plantings, benches or sheltered alcoves. Amenities such as these send a compelling message to the eye, one that says: Lots of cool stuff here, but [...]
More Thoughts on Edgell Road
February 8, 2007Based on what I know now, I oppose widening Edgell Road. We do not need another “traffic sewer” in town to negatively effect streetscape and make it more difficult, dangerous and unappealing for people to cross the street in a neighborhood business district.
What we need is some design to make a more appealing [...]
Edgell Road Reconstruction in the Works
February 8, 2007There’s a proposal to widen Edgell Road, change or add traffic lights and other potential changes, according to a posting on a local e-mail group. The project raises serious issues about turning a two-lane roadway into a major north-south, high-speed traffic sewer. It also can impact one of the more attractive areas in town, the [...]
