Boston Urban Farm : mending the Southwest Corridor

Abstract

This work studies Boston's segregated nature in terms of race and class especially as this coincides with the physical form of the city. Known for its strong neighborhoods, Boston cannot escape definite boundaries between these communities: ones which are not static, but are constantly shifting. 'The city's recent redevelopment, consequently, has displaced once cohesive and viable ethnic communities, demonstrating that economic reinvestment can be directed either towards a heightened exclusivity or an integrated inclusivity. At about the time the Berlin wall was constructed, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts cleared a swath of land through Jamaica Plain and Roxbury for a proposed eight lane southwest expressway. Community activism and opposition ensured that the road was never built. For twenty-five year the land has remained virtually vacant: a gash in the landscape that formally separates Roxbury from the rest of Boston. As the wall in Berlin comes down, how might this tear in Boston be mended? In essence, how might a perceived barrier be transfigured into an active seam in a formal and social senses Such a project requires an examination of contemporary urbanism, which has contributed to the fragmented nature of American cities, and a proposal for an alternative urbanism. Part of the legacy of Boston's communities is its urban gardens which serve not only for food production;but also for bringing disparate communities together. In a city divided formally and socially, concurrently, I believe proposals for building on these perceived barriers can be most successful when they embody a physical and programmatic response. One without the other is a lifeless gesture. With these issues in mind I propose to build the Boston Urban Farm within the southwest corridor swath. 'The farm consists of residences, commercial space, farm activities such as planting and harvesting, and greenhouse constructions which may serve the many educational institutions in the area with opportunities for earth science and botanical research.