The Third Decade

Moving forward on the Southwest Corridor

After multiple false starts and controversy, there's good news about development on the Southwest Corridor again. Today's Globe reports that Mayor Menino has changed his mind and now supports Ruggles Place on Parcel 3. I would've liked to be privy to that conversation when he decided to publicly express his support for the project.

Further down the line, it looks like the first piece of the Jackson Square project may break ground at the end of this year. After hearing about this development for four years, I won't believe that it's happening until a building begins rising. Two years ago, the project was said to be postponed until 2008 and plans released to the media contained changes to the initial plans released in 2005. Who knows what's really going on with this project and how can the rest of us find out about it?

With all this development in the pipeline, I sincerely hope that the MBTA doesn't follow through with its threat to cut back transit service. Columbus Ave is already a traffic nightmare during rush hour, even with the combination of subway, commuter rail, and bus service running parallel to it. If everything projected is built within the next 3-5 years, there's no way this part of town could function with fewer transportation options than it currently has.

Legacy vs Legacy: Tom Menino vs Elma Lewis

It was only a matter of time before a large enough voice in Boston's Black community spoke out against Mayor Menino. There have been grumblings about his support for BU's Biolab for a while and his reputation for being vindictive against people who contradict his wishes is well known. I left Boston before he became mayor and returned 6 years ago. Upon returning, I heard that he enjoyed high ratings, but I could never understand why. Besides literally not being able to understand what he said, I didn't see what the big deal was about him. Yes he made appearances everywhere, but what was he really doing? Did I miss his golden years?

Anyway, the Bay State Banner's editorial opposing Menino is interesting. Has Menino finally bumped up against someone with a legacy bigger than his own? Elma Lewis isn't well-known by many Bostonians under 40. Further, her accomplishments and legacy aren't well known by many Bostonians under 30. Given the large number of young voters, I wonder how important the Parcel 3 project will be to young voters and new Bostonians. Using the Parcel 3 development is an interesting way to portray into the idea that Menino is out of touch with the community. But in order for that to take root on a wider scale, I feel that more examples and connections need to be identified.

Overall, this should be an interesting mayoral cycle. Many communities of color and liberal white communities were envigorated and galvanized by President Obama's election. I'm curious to see whether any fractions will appear if/when Menino formally announces his candidacy. If an anti-Menino movement takes hold in Boston, it'll also be interesting to see how the voting breaks down by neighborhood. Dorchester and Roxbury are two of the most populous neighborhoods, but I don't think they have the highest voter turnouts in any election. Will Menino bother courting voters of color and liberal white voters in those districts if more of these editorials appear? Or, will he pursue a George Bush-style divide and conquer campaign and just go for the safe districts? Unfortunately, none of the current candidates looks strong enough at the moment to portend an interesting campaign cycle. Hopefully that will change soon.

Biolab delayed again

I can't remember the last time I thought about or heard anything about the BU Biolab. This afternoon, however, the Globe is reporting that the lab is facing more delays due to another - hopefully more complete - safety review by the National Institutes of Health. Can't say I'm sad about that, though. I had my doubts about the lab in the first place, as did many people in neighborhoods surrounding the lab. I'm sure all eyes will be on the NIH, its methods of analysis, and the final report from now until 2010.

Boston could've been the 6th largest city in the world.

The world was a lot smaller in 1912.

Yesterday I came across a 1912 NY Times article (28KB pdf) about a bill filed by Representative Daniel Kiley which would have added 339 square miles to the City of Boston by annexing every city and town within 10 miles of the Statehouse (basically everything within Route 128 plus a little more). For comparison, that would have made the new Boston slightly bigger in area than New York City. Interestingly, the population of Boston was larger in 1912 than what it is now (670,000 vs. 590,000), and the larger Boston would have had a population of 1.5 million. New York City was already approaching 5 million residents in 1910, in roughly the same land area.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't explain why Rep. Kiley wanted to expand the size of Boston. I also haven't come across any follow up articles explaining why the bill didn't become law, although I suspect that old school machine politics scared off the other communities. Still, imagine how different Boston would be now if it had become a much larger city back then. Issues related to busing, school desegregation, housing patterns, and transportation would probably have been decided in completely different ways. Or, if it happened today, would people be fighting over relatively small parcels of land in Allston or tunnels through downtown when the overall city would be much, much bigger? Would Kiley's bill have increased efficiencies by eliminating duplication of services or would there just be a big blob of bureaucracy spread across eastern Masasachusetts?

What are Mayor Menino's accomplishments?

The question isn't being posed to fault Menino for not doing something, I'm genuinely curious to identify the spaces and places which have been significantly improved due to his influence. The Strand Theater and the slow growth of the Seaport District come to mind, but I can't think of anywhere else in the bulk of the city which has seen major physical changes. I'm thinking about it for two reasons.

First, he might run for a 5th term. Does he deserve it? Has the city improved noticeably or are we stagnating in goodness rather than excelling to greatness? I don't know how what the candidates for mayor would do if they were elected, but I'm not opposed to seeing a new mayor in place either.

Second, recently I've been reading articles about grand visions other leaders have for their cities. Bloomberg has ambitious plans for New York and Sarkozy has his for Paris. We've also seen how Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai have been steered toward growth, with more cities can be expected to do the same once the economic downturn is over. So where is that going to leave Boston in the long run? Has Menino laid out any plans to keep Boston attractive?

The U.S. still isn't ready for (the elimination of) Black History Month.

Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's just my perception. 

In general, this Black History Month feels like it has been one of the more contentious ones in recent memory. Usually the annual commemoration passes by without much notice outside of the Black community. I suspect the Obama presidency has been a factor in changing things this year. But the level of bitterness (and ignorance) that have been stirred up are at a point I wouldn't have expected in 2009,  particularly not from a place like New York City! The New York Post's cartoon featuring police officers shooting a chimp while commenting about the stimulus package is one example of thinly-veiled racism (or rampant ignorance). But I'm also still receiving emails about the baker who created the "drunked negro face" cookies. I don't remember when I first heard about those, but the fact that I'm still hearing about them weeks later has me wondering whether the baker is still selling them and trying to convince others that they're in good taste.

Of course I'm not trying to single out New York City. I'm probably hearing about these examples simply because they occurred in New York and it's hard to escape scrutiny there. Odds are that a lot more mischief has happened around the country, but that fewer people are aware of those occurrences because they happened in smaller places. Either way, a raw nerve is being plucked. Sadly, it has the potential to manifest itself into something very ugly on a larger scale unless we address it as a society. Attorney General Eric Holder was right in calling out the country regarding our racial dynamics and I'm eager to see what he's going to do to encourage more people to talk openly instead of resorting to the kinds of insensitive expressions mentioned above.

Then there are those who suggest that we should do away with Black History Month completely. 

Redesign the Massachusetts Quarter

Normally I'd want our elected officials and their employees to do something other than frivolous things like redesign currency. But, seeing as how our gov is taking a poll of state residents before submitting the redesign, I guess I can let this one slide. I like seeing something like this go to a vote rather than assembling a state commission to do it. The poll for the Massachusetts quarter redesign is here.

Inaugural Memories

First of all, congratulations, President Barack Hussein Obama. After two long years of campaigning and dismissing your initial nay-sayers, I'm happy to see you in office and hard at work from day one.

There aren't any words that can sum up Inauguration Day without sounding cliched, but it really was an incredible and momentous occasion. The crowds were huge, but not impossible or unbearable. After living in Japan and London and dealing with Paris and Madrid's crowds on New Years Eve, this crowd was comparatively small. Besides that, the crowd control measures were organized and everyone was in a mood to party, not act the fool. The Metro was very effective at shuttling people around, although at times some of the outer stations were temporarily shut down to keep the crowds on the platforms from growing dangerously large.

Despite the blue skies and bright sun, it was cold. A chilly wind whipped up a little dust from time to time, but for the most part, it was a beautiful day. Snow was in the forecast, but not a single flake fell during my time in Washington. The Mall itself was a beautiful sea of humanity. People were smiling, holding hands, huddling (mostly for warmth), and just having a good time. Vendors sold everything from Obama photos to buttons, to t-shirts, but I don't think too many people bought t-shirts. My friends and I arrived around 10am and found a spot near one of the jumbotron TVs between the Washington Monument and the last set of buildings in the Smithsonian complex. 

Between our arrival and the noon swearing in, the audience grew and grew and grew. Official estimates are that 2 million people showed up, but with such a large open space, it never felt crowded or uncomfortable. We had a clear view of the jumbotron and I even walked around the crowd a couple of times to take crowd shots as we waited. I thought I'd lose track of my friends by walking around, but it was always easy to meet up and stand next to them again.

May Calm Nerves and Blue Skies Prevail Tomorrow

Like thousands (maybe millions?) of other people, I will be making the trek to Washington DC tomorrow. Fortunately, I bought airline tickets weeks before the general election and live relatively close to Logan Airport. On a normal day that would mean a quick trip to DC, roughly 90 minutes or so. However, with record crowds, increased air traffic, and snow in DC's forecast, I'm a little nervous about potential delays. My flight is late in the afternoon, thus raising the possibility of slowdowns earlier in the day having an effect on my departure. There's some comfort in knowing that the thousands of extra travelers tomorrow are all going to the same place, but who knows it that's really a plus. Either way, this is truly an exciting time! Safe travels to everyone who's heading to DC with me tomorrow. For those of you staying home, enjoy the TV coverage and have fun at the local celebrations.

State Goes in Debt, Leaders Lose Their Damn Minds!

Wow! 

In an effort to save money, state senators are proposing to create a new transportation uberagency that would combine the powers of two highway agencies and the MBTA. Supposedly, efficiencies achieved by the merger would save billions of dollars. Ha!

You know what the merger is really going to save? Time. Now instead of grumbling about how bad each agency is at doing its job, we'll be able to point our collective fingers at one agency. How convenient!

Seriously, though, does Massachusetts need another quasi-public agency of mass proportions (pun intended, yuk, yuk) to sap our souls and be inefficient on a statewide scale? Isn't that part of the problem we have with the agencies currently in existence? I'm all for saving money by eliminating redundancies. But I hope conditions are put in place to increase accountability, reward good performance, and penalize poor performance. Hopefully contracts with the unions will also be renegotiated to allow for flexibility in developing creative solutions to old problems. For example, isn't part of the reason the T doesn't run later because it would cost too much to pay drivers and subway operators overtime after 1am? I know there's the maintenance reason as well, but I've never really bought into that.

It's an interesting proposal to say the least. What will be more interesting is seeing how the unions fight this.

Note: This article may move from breaking news to regular news by the time you read it. If so, I'll fix the link once it's moved.