DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE
TESTIMONIES

DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE:
The Green Triangle concept was conceived by several organizations that work in the Heart of the City and care about the area as a whole. They are the Arnold Arboretum, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Franklin Park Zoo, Lena Park Community Development Corporation (CDC), Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). For more than two years, these organizations met as a loose coalition. The members of these individual groups share the fundamental belief that this area is not realizing its full potential, that the major cultural and natural resources of the area could be better connected, and that by working together they can become more than the sum of their parts.

The Green Triangle Group funded a study of the roadways that connected their various organizations, but struggled to focus its efforts. In 2001, they initiated a conversation with the Urban Land Institute about a planning charrette for the area. However, members got distracted by the planning process for the Boston State Hospital site, the Franklin Park Zoo entered a funding crisis, and the group as a whole lost momentum.

In 2002, another group of institutions, including but not limited to those involved in the Green Triangle Group, began meeting to explore their common ground. The State Laboratory, Shattuck and Faulkner Hospitals, and local community members have participated in these new conversations. Discussion has focused around enhancing the connections between the green spaces and institutions in the area through better, more coordinated transportation. The Shattuck Hospital already runs a shuttle between Forest Hills Station and the Hospital, which is within Franklin Park.

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TESTIMONIES:
The follow are paraphrased or exact comments people have made about the Green Triangle Group and the Green Triangle/ Heart of the City concept:

"It is foolish to think about this area as replacing downtown. We already have a downtown and that will not change. But we can think about ways to put this area on the map, because the Heart of the City is not on most maps of Boston" (Jay Wickersham, director of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act).
 
"The organizations represented by the Green Triangle do not have their base in the community. Residents have no power within the organizations, which get their money from sources other than the surrounding communities. Thus, they have no accountability to the community. There is a sense that members of the Green Triangle Group may be out there somewhere planning something unknown on our behalf. These are organizations with the power to impose their will on us without our permission" (Lin Sassman, Jamaica Plain open space advocate; JPNC member).

 "There is a gaping transit void along Blue Hill Avenue. Franklin Park could benefit the inner city as a regional destination area, but access is the primary constraint to greater use" (Jessica Pineo, former regional planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who ran the Roxbury Master Planning process). 

"The Green Triangle could supply the rational and motivation to extend the Silver Line from Dudley Square to Franklin Park. If the Silver Line is built, the area will build up along Warren Street and Blue Hill Avenue without the need for more cars. The transportation system needs to be there before the area will be able to truly find a place on the Boston map" (Jessica Pineo, former regional planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who ran the Roxbury Master Planning process). 

"The biggest fear that people will have about the Green Triangle and other similar planning endeavors is: "Development for whom." The number one fear people have is about displacement. Already people are being squeezed out and there is increased crowding. The question is "is this plan/ development/ program/ business going to bring in more white people and displace us?" The problem is that people do not have control over their land. The most direct control you can have is to be an owner of land and property. Otherwise, people are expendable and they can always move out" (Penn Loh, director of Alternatives for Community and Environment).

"The biggest barrier to interest and involvement in the Emerald Necklace and the Green Triangle among people throughout the region is safety. The perception among outsiders is that the area is unsafe and that Franklin Park is the MOST unsafe of all" (Simone Auster, director of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, who often gives tours of the area to people who would otherwise feel unsafe visiting. She is constantly involved in public education).

"The Green Triangle should create a "coordinating committee that is broad and diverse enough for short and long-term strategic planning." She strongly recommends that the Greenspace Alliance be involved in what is going on here and that the Green Triangle not attempt to work independently. She is wary of the idea of investing so large quantities of money in a Urban Land Institute charrette process because the money will not be spent in the community, nor will the expertise that is developed be retained within the community. These outside experts will not go on to use the knowledge they have gained to make a positive change in the area. They will write a report and leave" (Betsy Shuregross, executive office of Environmental Affairs).

"People do not think about this area as a single area. They think of it as a second choice if the first one does not work out. If they can't go where they really want to go, they will visit the Zoo as a back-up. People don't come to visit Franklin Park in and of itself, and even the Arboretum does not have enough draw to be a real attraction" (Tom Litke, director of Roslindale Village Main Street).

"There seems to be a distinction between the way that Mass Audubon and Franklin Park Zoo think about the goals of the Green Triangle and its regional goals. Mass Audubon simply wants the neighbors to feel comfortable coming to the area. Clayton does not want to force collaboration, but merely to make sure the group is not missing mutually beneficial opportunities. He feels the physical linkages and how this area fits into the context of the city are not well understood. He wants to provide a broad vision that state and city agencies can act in the context of. The Emerald Necklace is the kind of vision Clayton wants to create for the Green Triangle area" (Gary Clayton, Massachusetts Audubon Society).

"The Arnold Arboretum is involved in the Green Triangle for two reasons: 1) Because the management realizes that it has been overly removed from the surrounding communities 2) Because Mass Audubon is a big player in the area and the two institutions should not be competing with one another but aware of each other and complementing each other" (Robert Cook, director of the Arnold Arboretum).

"There's no shortage of vision. There is a lack of understanding of access. The [transportation] network simply does not support a lot of different kinds of land uses and access. The network did not grow up to support a network of open spaces and provide access between them. There's also a lack of support from the MBTA for a shuttle to support the system. The MBTA is focused on getting people to work and back. In my experience, if you serve locally you will attract regionally. Provide easy, clean, safe access and then you've solved your problem. The biggest constraint you face is the automobile" (Andrea D'Amato, commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department and long-term Heart of the City resident).

"Don't artificially creating a construct that people want to access all of these green places. They might not" (Venit Gupta, Boston Transportation Department).

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