Birch Street Plaza

Project Description:

Birch Street Plaza will transform Birch Street, in Boston’s Roslindale Village, from a street for cars into a plaza for people. The new plaza is designed as a birch grove and will include new paving, seating, planting, lighting, and trees. As part of the design process, the design team conceptualized and installed a six-day pop-up plaza in April 2019. The temporary installation prototyped, in real-time, the locations of future plaza elements utilizing duct tape to replicate paving patterns, milk crates to mimic seating, and wooden dowels to visualize trees. Through in-person and online surveys, observation, and conversation the team gathered feedback from the community, directly informing the final design of the permanent Birch Street Plaza. Construction of the future permanent plaza is expected Summer 2020.

Photo credit: ©2019 Christian Philips Photography

Location: Boston, MA

Date: 2019

Team: City of Boston, A Better City, Roslindale Village Main Street