land use Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Anali's Next Amendment

Wollaston Station Renovation

July 30, 2020June 4, 2017 by Lisa Johnson 2 Comments

Over the years, I’ve often written about my commute. Subway Stories grew out of the weirdness of riding the T.

So. My commute is about to get a bit more involved. I go to Wollaston Station and it’s about to undergo a significant renovation. The construction will make it accessible, according to NBC Boston.

The article says that there will also be new elevators, bathrooms, additional lighting and better stairways. Security will improve and the flooding problem will hopefully be eliminated. The renovations may start next month and could continue through June 2020.

The changes are long overdue and I’m glad they’re happening. But the timing has been a bit up in the air and still seems subject to change. Oh and the main issue, at least for me, is that the station is going to close for several years. Yup. Years.

While I was in the CVS near the station, people were talking about how they wondered if the closure would impact the number of people visiting the store.

Shuttle buses will replace the train between Wollaston and North Quincy stations. It probably won’t be that big of a deal, but will add some time to my commute in to Boston.

The third public meeting [PDF] will take place Wednesday, June 21st, 6:30pm at the Central Middle School Auditorium. I’m not sure if I’ll be going yet, but I’m considering it. What about you?

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*Updated 9/17/2017*

Just read a Boston.com article stating that the closure will be in late December.

History Demolished & Disrespected: Wollaston Theatre

July 30, 2020June 28, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

Back in 2007, I started writing about the Wollaston Theatre. Since Quincy is the City of Presidents, I wrongly thought that there would be a special appreciation and unique effort to restore this once lovely old movie house. I wrote about Wollaston Theatre again in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I hoped that things would end differently.

Silly me. What was I thinking? Of course money trumps everything else. The beloved Wolly was smashed to bits. The Change.org petition was a nice idea, but it was all to no avail.

No doubt owner Michael Fang, owner of the C-Mart supermarket chain, will be able to sell the land for a pretty penny. Probably another luxury apartment building will be built. Maybe condos.

Something most likely beyond the reach of most people instead of what could have been a wonderful community space. That seems to be the direction of things in Quincy. Many will soon be priced out.

I just took these pictures today, so my feelings are fresh. It was shocking to see nothing left. I am so disappointed. Wollaston Theatre is really gone.

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The Citgo Sign

July 30, 2020February 13, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

As I was thinking about writing a post this morning, I found this picture. I don’t remember if I blogged it before, but I do remember hearing recently that the sign might be taken down due to a change in ownership.

The Citgo sign is more than a sign. It’s a way to orient yourself as you make your way around the city. When you’ve been away, it’s a familiar sight that welcomes you back to Boston.

At night, the glow is beautiful. It’s synonymous with Kenmore Square. It’s one of those things that makes Boston, Boston. Like the gas tank on the Expressway. It’s iconic. What used to be just a sign has very much transformed into something else and I hope it will be preserved.

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To generate creative ideas, you have to start from an unusual place. But to explain those ideas, you have to connect them to something familiar. ~ Adam Grant

The above quote from an article by Adam Grant has also resonated with me lately. I’m not sure if it directly relates to the status of the sign, but somehow they are connecting in my mind….

Scent and the City: Urban Planning Using Smellscapes

May 30, 2022June 15, 2015 by Lisa Johnson

When I went on a smellwalk in Boston, I was interested to learn about how smell impacts our daily life. As someone with a keen sense of smell, this has always fascinated me.

Kate McLean, the leader of our smellwalk, recently wrote a paper with some other folks called Smelly Maps: The Digital Life of Urban Smellscapes.

Sadly, it doesn’t appear that the data from the Boston smellwalk was used in the paper. But it’s interesting to think about the possibilities of urban planning with a different approach to designing cities.

It’s not just physical landscapes that should be considered. Smellscapes should also be taken into account with urban planning. I love how they note “good fragrances” like in Japan. Below (with edits) are the recommendations to city planners.

One hundred sites in Japan have been declared as protected because of their ‘good fragrance’. However, the general situation in the rest of the world greatly differs. Urban planners to date have tended to think about smells in terms of management of bad odors, rarely considering preserving and celebrating the smells that people like. There are a number of ways that the urban smellscape can be altered; manipulating the air flow by changing the street layout, pedestrianization to alter traffic emissions, the creation of restorative environments through the planting of trees, greenspaces and waterways, and the strategic placement of car stopping points are just a few examples. City officials do not fully consider the opportunities presented by the sense of smell simply because they have been the victims of a discipline’s negative perspective. We hope that our work might help them rethink their approaches and use olfactory opportunities to create stimulating multisensory places.

I recall so many good smells while walking around Boston. If you’ve ever walked through the North End, you know what I mean! We do have large green spaces and a beautiful clean waterfront, but I wonder if even more could be done using smellscapes to make Boston an even better city.

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Image: Boston’s Smellwalk Map Route

Corita Kent: Throwback Thursday: Boston Gas Tanks

July 30, 2020January 15, 2015 by Lisa Johnson 2 Comments

After reading a recent article about Sister Corita Kent, it reminded me of my 1991 picture of the two gas tanks. Now there is only one gas tank, but thankfully the beautiful art of Corita Kent was preserved.

As a child, I used to be so excited when I would see the familiar Boston landmark. The big splashes of bright colors painted on one of the two gas tanks as my father drove our family into Boston countless times on the expressway. Until I saw that gas tank, I never thought about art being placed on objects that weren’t necessarily art. Corita Kent brought art to the masses even if you weren’t looking for it. There it was.

On January 31st, an exhibit of her work will be opening at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh called Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent. The exhibit will be there until April 19th and covers more than 30 years of her work. Below is an excerpt from the website.

In her rich and varied career, she was a designer, teacher, feminist, and activist for civil rights and anti-war causes. Her thousands of posters, murals, and signature serigraphs reflect these combined passions for faith and politics. Kent became one of the most popular graphic artists of the 1960s and ‘70s, and her images remain iconic symbols that address the larger questions and concerns of that turbulent time and continue to influence many artists today.

While several exhibitions have focused on Corita’s work from the ‘60s, Someday is Now is the first major museum show to survey her entire career, including early abstractions and text pieces as well as the more lyrical works made in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition also includes rarely shown photographs Corita used for teaching and documentary purposes.

This looks like a great exhibit if you get the chance to go. It appears to be traveling to different cities, so maybe it will stop by a location near you.