Rose Kennedy GreenwayBoston, Massachusetts

Santa Rosa Southeast GreenwayPrecedent AnalysisCP243, Fall 2010John M. Francis

North EndRKG in Context

North End

Downtown

Cambridge

Charles River

Boston Harbor

Chinatown

West End

Chinatown Gate

Harbor Wharves

1951-1954 | Central Artery Elevated Expressway Constructed

1959 | Urban Renewal: West End Neighborhood Razed and Replaced with Superblocks

Timeline of the Central Artery and RKG

1970’s | Artery Burial Plan Conceived1982 | Big Dig Planning & Review Initiated

1987 | Federal Funding Approved1991 | Big Dig Ground Breaking

2004 | Elevated Expressway Demolished

2006 | Roadway Construction Completed

2008 | RKG Completed

ca. 1946 2010

The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a curvilinear park intended to stitch together the various neighborhoods surrounding downtown Boston that were physically divided for 50 years by the elevated Central Artery Highway. It also provides needed open space for local and city residents.

NORTH STATION/TD GARDEN

SOUTH STATION

SOUTH STATIONBUS TERMINAL

GOVERNMENTCENTER

PARK STREET

DOWNTOWNCROSSING

STATE STREET

AQUARIUM

CHINATOWN

HAYMARKET

FERRY TO CHARLESTOWN

FERRY TO HINGHAM

FERRY TOLOGAN AIRPORT/

QUINCY/HULLBOSTON

HARBOR ISLANDSFERRY

Atla

nt

ic A

venue

Hanove

r Stre

et

State Street

Northern Avenue Foot Bridge

High Street

Clinton Street

Sale

m S

treet

Cross Street

Surface Artery

Atlantic A

venue

State Street

Pearl Street

Summer Street

Surf

ace R

oad

Beach Street

Summer Street

Atlantic Avenue

Broad Street

India Street

Milk Street

Central St

Essex Street

Congress Street

Congress Street

Oliver Street

Evelyn Moakley Bridge

Linc

oln

Stre

et

Purchase Street

East India Row

Comm

ercia

l Stre

etFulto

n St

reet

North

Stre

et

New Sudbury Street

High Street

Federal Street

Sout

h St

reet

Franklin Street

Avenue De Lafayette

Essex Street

North W

ashington Street

I-93 Northbound

I-93 SouthboundHaverhill StreetCanal StreetCauseway Stre

et

Merrimac Street

New Chardon Street

Valenti Way Endicott Street

Cooper Street

Was

hingto

n Stre

et

Chauncy

Street

North Street

Franklin Stre

et

Congress Street

Kneeland Street

Seaport Boulevard

teert S notgni hsa

W

Prince Street

Charter Street

Sheafe Street

Fleet Street

Water Street

Devonshire Street

Arch St

reet

Otis St

reet

Har

rison

Ave

nue

Tyle

r Str

eet

Medford Street

Portland Street

Lanchester Street

Traverse

Street

Batterymarch Street

Merchants Row

Kilby Street

Thatcher Street

Stillman Street

School Street

Bedford Street

Kingsto

n Stre

et

Dev

onsh

ire S

treet

Hull Street

Blackstone Street

Summer Street

Commercial Street

Han

over

Str

eet

Comm

ercial Street

Hanove

r Stre

et

Atla

ntic

Ave

nue

Milk Stre

et

Congress Street

Summer Street

Linc

oln

Stre

et

CENTRALWHARF

BATTERY WHARF

BURROUGHS WHARF

LINCOLN WHARF

CONSTITUTIONWHARF

FISKES WHARF

LOVEJOYWHARF

UNION WHARF

LEWIS WHARF

COMMERCIAL WHARF

LONG WHARF

EAST INDIAWHARF

ROWESWHARF

RUSSIA WHARF

Christopher Columbus

Park

Paul RevereMall

City HallPlaza

John AdamsCourthouse

Su�olk CountyCourthouse

Old NorthChurch

To Boston Conventionand Exhibition Center

To BostonPublic Garden

Paul RevereHouse

FORT POINTCHANNEL

CHARLES RIVER

BOSTON INNER HARBOR

North Market

South Market

IMAXTheater

StateHouse

BostonCity Hall

Quincy Market

CustomHouse

New EnglandAquarium

FaneuilHall

To Institute ofContemporary Art, World Trade Center, Federal Courthouse

Children’sMuseum

Leonard P. Zakim

Bunker Hill Bridge

NOR TH ENDBULFINCHTRIANGLE

FINANCIALDIS TRIC T

BE ACON HILL

THE ATERDIS TRIC T

LE ATHERDIS TRIC T

SOUTH BOS TONWATERFRONT

CHINATOWN

Rings Fountain

Dewey Square Plaza

Armenian Heritage Park

Urban Arboretum

Mary SooHoo Park

Harbor Park Pavilion

Chinatown Park

North End Parks

Wharf District Parks

Ft. Point Channel Parks

Dewey Square Park

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway

Spring 2010

0 100 200 300 400 feet

BATHROOMS

TR ANSIT STATION

FREEDOM TR AIL

WALK-TO -THE-SEA

HARBORWALK

key

Nor

th E

ndW

harf

Dis

tric

tCh

inat

own

Rose

Ken

nedy

Gre

enw

ay,

Bost

on,

MA

| Pa

rk D

esig

n an

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plem

enta

tion

Publ

ic A

rtLo

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erit

age

Armenian Immigrants Memorial | YMCAIndoor Botanical Garden | CarouselBoston Museum | Urban Nursery

Proposed Amenities (all lack funding or are under study)

Lessons from the RKG+•No highway!•Create open space•Interactive public art•Chinatown Park (Design: Carol R.

Johnson Associates)

-•Design insensitive to surrounding

neighborhood vernacular•Greenway edges not activated•Not imageable/little sense of place•Large scale/few intimate spaces

RKG Dimensions:~1.5 miles long~250-325 feet wide