5. Grid It

5. Grid it

The re-grading that was done to support the highway has cut the river off from the neighborhood and made the natural systems discontinuous.

STRATEGIES/INTERVENTIONS:

A new kind of district for urban production accommodates new industrial/residential mixed-use building types.
The new north-south grid reconnects the neighborhoods and production activities by depressing the rail line into a cut.
The flexible subdivision of the new long blocks enables production uses to expand and contract over time.
The highway and the existing frontage road, Lincoln Street, are consolidated into a single
arterial road that is part of the grid.

SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA:

Large expanses of green roof are created on top of the production facilities.
Clean production activities are brought back into the city to minimize transportation.
New green connections are developed between the ends of the existing residential blocks in Allston and Portsmouth Street Playground.