Designing a More Inclusive Boston

Boston, one of the oldest municipalities in the country, is also becoming one of the youngest.

In 2017, Boston Indicators (in partnership with City Awake and the Boston Chamber of Commerce) identified Boston as a City of Millennials. In 2022, Boston was listed as one of the top ten metropolitan areas in the U.S. where millennials want to relocate. And, Mayor Michelle Wu, among other important firsts, is Boston’s first millennial mayor.

Aside from their youthful energy, millennials share some other important traits: They care about social issues, believe in activism, value collective action and networks, are everyday changemakers, and are passionate about issues, not institutions. These traits will be essential for making Boston not only a younger, more vibrant city, but a more inclusive one as well.

Mayor Wu, in her campaign for mayor, tweeted that “Cities have tremendous power to lead the charge to mitigate the threat of climate change, eliminate the violence of poverty and economic equality, close the racial wealth gap, and dismantle structural racism.” In August of 2022, Wu and Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison announced the adoption of a new policy that requires developers to include diversity, equity, and inclusion plans as part of the process for approving large construction projects in the city. More recently, the mayor’s office put forward new inclusionary development and linkage policies that are aimed at increasing the amount of affordable housing – and diversity –in the city.

How will the design and construction industry capitalize on all the positive energy and momentum that is moving Boston toward being a more inclusive city? If the impact of many of these new policies can only be achieved through the regulation of new development, how long will it be until we see real change on the ground and in our skyline as economic uncertainty looms?

Fortunately, we’re already seeing evidence of inclusive design along Boston’s evolutionary path. When City Hall Plaza’s first phase opened in 2022, the ideals of accessible, inclusive design were showcased in one of the city’s most iconic civic space’s ability to welcome families and people of varying mobility in ways that had never been possible before. At 10 World Trade in the Seaport, the “Massport Model” for diversity, equity and inclusion has been a cornerstone of the design effort and has led to an extremely exciting project with a significant, meaningful, public realm component.

The idea of inclusive design is not merely an act of goodwill – inclusive design leads to better projects. How buildings, spaces, and places look can and should be informed by how they function and feel, and for wide segments of the population. If we want our city to function as a central gathering place, cultural hub, and engine for our economy, then this is how we will do it.

Importantly, Boston does not exist in isolation. And thankfully, we are seeing similar priorities emerge in state government. On election night, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey spoke on the importance of representation by saying “We’re going to be a better state, we’ll be a better country when more voices are at the table, especially voices that have not been heard historically.”

I also believe our collective ability to make meaningful change will improve as we look for opportunities to partner with each other and to navigate these times together. We are in an exciting time when collaboration, representation, and inclusion will inform our work in new and important ways. Breaking down barriers between institutions, between the public and private sectors, and between each other will allow us all the opportunity to achieve better design, together.