Mayor Walsh launches final Imagine Boston 2030 plan in Upham’s Corner!

Over the past year, we’ve engaged more than 15,000 Bostonians, learning about the issues that matter most to them as they envision their city in 2030. During that time, residents took time to attend workshops, complete surveys, make edits to various draft, and much more. Now, Mayor Martin J. Walsh is thrilled to present the final Imagine Boston 2030 plan!

To celebrate the launch of the final document, Mayor Walsh hosted a Launch Party and Showcase in Upham’s Corner in Dorchester. Hundreds of residents came out to celebrate the city’s first city-wide planning process since 1965.

The event included an interactive exhibit that featured hands-on ways to engage with the plan. The Showcase was displayed in the old Bank of America building, originally the Dorchester Trust Company. Also announced, this building will be the future geographic location of the new Upham’s Corner Library! Please note that the vision for this new library will require a separate community process and the existing physical structure (555 Columbia Road) will be discussed as a part of this planning process.

The showcase allowed residents to interact with the plan in different ways and created an opportunity for residents to learn about how Imagine Boston intersects with other planning processes and departmental work to shape the future of Boston. Included with the Imagine Boston 2030 display were several other city initiatives including GoBoston 2030, Climate Ready Boston and Greenovate, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and BuildBPS. All of the city’s initiatives feed into and inform Imagine Boston 2030 to ensure consistency and collaborative planning across all city departments. The showcase also included a Story Lab hosted by the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics that included a view of the Imagine Boston document, in virtual reality!

The Launch Party included a block-party style celebration with live performers, food trucks, a beer garden with lawn games, city department tables and booths, local businesses, the Imagination Playground and other family-friendly activities, arts, live music and poetry, BostonCreates at the Strand Theater, food trucks, and more! The main stage included a speaking program featuring, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, IB2030 Director, Rebekah Emanuel, Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, DSNI Director Juan Leyton, and community activist Bob Haas. Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon and BPL President David Leonard were also present.

Finally, the event included walking tours of the Main Streets, a trolley to and from the JFK/UMass, and a historic tour of North Dorchester Burying Ground.

Did you miss this event? You can watch the speaking portion of the event here. Check out more pictures here!

We would like to thank our friends below for participating in this event and for continuously supporting Imagine Boston 2030:

• Boston Main Streets & Foundation
• Boston Public Library and their Bibliocycle
• Daily Table
• Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
• Dorchester Brewing Company
• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
• Fairmount Innovation Lab
• Fairmount/Indigo Line advocacy groups
• Hubway
• Kaboom!
• Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc.
• The Sustainability Guild
• Upham’s Corner Health Center
• Upham’s Corner Main Street
• Up Market vendors
• and many more!

You can read the final Imagine Boston Plan by downloading it or you can check it out at your neighborhood branch of the Boston Public Library, BCYF, or Main Streets office.

To skim the document, click here to check out our storymaps!

As always, we ask you to share your voice and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #ImagineBoston. And don’t forget to sign up for Imagine Boston’s updates!

Imagine Boston 2030 is Boston’s first citywide plan in over 50 years, that prioritizes inclusionary growth and puts forth a comprehensive vision to boost quality of life, equity and resilience in every neighborhood in Boston.