Paul McMorrow’s article in the Boston Globe this week was a thoughtful, nuanced description of our CitySquare project in Worcester. Advocating for a deliberateness in development as well as the importance of density to create a vibrant downtown, the article offers a glimpse into what makes a city successful. As McMorrow writes: “The city is currently working on rebuilding a downtown that looks and functions like one. It is a turnaround plan that celebrates the downtown, instead of suburbanizing it. It recognizes that good downtowns start with people, and once downtowns fill with people, business happens organically.” McMorrow also highlights the importance of residential density, a key component of our master plan, to the transformation of Worcester as it creates a critical mass of people invested in the success of their neighborhood.
A number of us at Arrowstreet have been working on CitySquare since the first master planning efforts began in 2003. Over the past few years, we have seen the first phase of our vision for Worcester realized – from rebuilding the downtown streets into smaller scale pedestrian blocks to celebrating the opening of our building for Unum this past January, these developments have started to transform downtown Worcester into a place rich with opportunities. We are moving forward with the next phase of development and are looking forward to seeing the full plan realized….stay tuned!
Topics: Mixed Use