With Filene's and more significantly, Filene's Basement, shuttered and a giant crater occupying much of the former store site (the Historic and best bits remain) Bostonian's might note that Downtown Crossing seems to have seen better days. In fact a great deal of other area properties are either vacant or under construction. Yet, Downtown Crossing on any given day (week or weekend) is a bustle. There are streetcar vendors, random street performers and people of just about every walk of life imaginable.Though much-maligned, there are also a great deal of
(re-)development projects planned and underway.
Despite the current and recent conditions both economic and development related, Downtown Crossing remains true to its namesake. It also remains one of the most successful nearly all-pedestrian environments in urban America. The reason? Good bones. It really is that simple.
In the case of geography and placemaking, good bones can be seen as transit, roads, and other elements of the built environment. Downtown Crossing has the best of all of this. All five of the MBTA urban transit lines converge on/around the Downtown Crossing area. South Station and the emerging South Boston waterfront area; next door. Boston Common and the Public Garden is but a block away. The Financial District is; well right there. Emerson College and Suffolk University are right in the neighborhood. Tufts New England Medical Center is next door. Beacon Hill; across the way. Government Center; next door. The Theater District (and the 19 screen Boston Common Cinemas); right in the neighborhood. That doesn't include any of the data and such of course...
The neighborhood just plain has good bones (you can see some data
here); density, parks, transit, wide-range of uses that brings activity to every hour of the day. So, current conditions may feel a bit dower, but one thing seems completely certain to Urban Mechanic. Downtown Crossing will remain vibrant, hopefully always a bit gritty, definitively urban and uniquely; Boston.
