Our recap of the Imagine Boston 2030 forum at Boston College
On March 30, we teamed up with Boston College to present the Imagine Boston 2030 Forum: “Making Choices for a Growing City.”
To share the conversation with as many viewers as possible, we live-streamed the event on Periscope, took over Only in BOS’s Snapchat handle, and live-tweeted the discussion (and trended!) on Twitter. Weren’t able to tune in? Here’s what you missed:
- Mayor Martin J. Walsh kicked off the Forum, followed by an opening presentation from BRA Planning Director Sara Myerson, who shared key findings from Imagine Boston’s recently released Guiding Growth
- Moderator Meghna Chakrabarti, co-host of WBUR’s Radio Boston, led an expert panel in a provocative and wide-ranging discussion about the challenges and opportunities presented by Boston’s growth. Audience members contributed questions in person and on Twitter using the hashtag #ImagineBoston. Questions covered topics ranging from sustainable public transit and education funding, to updating zoning laws and improving the city’s roads and bridges. To see some of the questions that came from the audience, check them out on our Facebook page.
- Panelists John Barros, Walter Hood, Joe Kriesberg, Shirley Leung, and Harriet Tregoning shared imaginative ways to help Boston grow equitably, including increasing access to public transit, building inclusive and thriving main streets and parks, and solutions to add new housing while maintaining diverse and vibrant neighborhoods.
- Attendees continued to provide feedback at an interactive reception following the panel where they contributed ideas on where the city should grow using coUrbanize, a digital mapping tool, as well as prioritizing strategies for Boston’s growth by responding to questions with stickers and comments.