The City announced last month a new citywide planning process called “Imagine Boston 2030.” Expected to take two years, Imagine Boston is the City’s first comprehensive planning process in 50 years.
Imagine Boston will be a multi-phase initiative, starting with a survey of present conditions and then expanding to a public visioning process in the fall.
Imagine Boston will address at least eight key themes, including housing; mobility; environment; parks and open spaces; prosperity and equity; arts and culture; design; and health, according to the press release. A final plan is slated to be adopted in summer 2017.
“It’s been 50 years since we had a comprehensive plan for Boston,” said Mayor Martin Walsh in a press release. “In 1965, people were looking for the confidence to believe that the city’s decline had ended. Today we’re a thriving, healthy and innovative city. Now is our chance to set the course for the next generation.”
Mayor’s Office spokesperson Laura Oggeri said in an email to the Gazette that the City is spearheading the planning process “in close coordination with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.”
When asked how the Olympic plans will factor in the process, Oggeri responded, “While these are two separate processes, the goals that will be developed by residents for the citywide plan should play a role in informing and influencing any Olympic planning as we move forward. Additionally, if Boston is selected to host the Olympics in 2024, it will present an opportunity to accelerate some of the planning and development that is within our vision for Boston in 2030.”
The Gazette also asked how independent Boston 2024 and Imagine Boston 2030 are considering the Olympic organization was using for a time the Twitter hashtag #ImagineBoston in its promotional items.
Oggeri only noted that the City is using a slightly different hashtag, “#ImagineBos.”
For more information, visit Imagine.Boston.gov.