In 2004 the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) completed a strategic planning process in the North
Allston Neighborhood. The planning process grew out of an agreement with Harvard University to engage the community in a planning effort to
address the future of North Allston as it relates to land use, housing, economic development, transportation, and open space. The goal of the
plan was to articulate a consensus-based, attainable vision for the North Allston neighborhood, including Harvard-owned properties.
The BRA and Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services have worked closely with a Community Planning Group of about forty to create a vision for the
area that maximizes opportunities for North Allston and all of Boston. This planning group, appointed by the Mayor, is representative of residents,
businesses, institutions, and non-profits with interests in the area.
The plan embraces the community’s goals of affordable community housing and home ownership, good jobs and better transportation, open space and
pedestrian connections to the River, and an open campus. The plan pulls all of the community’s ideas together and gives shape to them as a
unified picture of North Allston’s future. The plan also calls for the greatest benefits and opportunities for Boston that Harvard’s expansion
plans can make feasible, while protecting the existing neighborhoods and businesses. |
