Activating Columbia Road: Reframing a Missing Link

David Queeley, Director of the Eco-Innovation at
Codman Square Neighborhood Development
Corporation, was peripherally involved in the work
around Fairmount. When asked if he could describe
some ways in which collaboration was successful
in uniting the corridor, David cited the fact that
Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
are often tapped into residents in ways the City
simply is not. 11 This can serve as a useful example to
strengthen the collaboration between the City and
local CDC’s, neighborhood groups and councils,
and other existing groups on the ground. 12 Queeley
also offered his thoughts on the threat of green
gentrification in this area of Boston. He shared, “A
lot of people say ‘make the neighborhood better,
but don’t make it too good because we don’t
want people displacing us.’ If we or the City do
anything that displaces people, I will consider that
a failure.” 13
This strategy can also be observed in the
Upham’s Corner Implementation process, in
which community organizations and the City
have worked collaboratively, resulting in an
effective process. The Upham’s Corner plan
seeks development without displacement, with
development including new affordable housing
and new affordable commercial space. 14
Michelle Moon, the Fairmount Greenway Project
Manager Consultant for the Fairmount Indigo
CDC Collaborative was able to comment on
the importance of Columbia Road relative
to the Fairmount Indigo Line. In our interview
she mentioned that the streetscape design of
Columbia Road has been overlooked partly
due to the unbuilt station that centered around
Columbia Road. 15 Moon mentioned that train
and subway corridors in Dorchester go north and
south, unlike bus lines that go east and west, so
bus connections have not been made to connect
people to the Fairmount Line. Because stations
such as Newmarket or Upham’s Corner are a
little further away, there are fewer connections
to Columbia Road – even though they are within
11 Queeley, interview.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 Butt, “Upham’s Corner Implementation Community Workshop.”
15 Moon, interview.
¼-mile. 16 Through our interview, we were able to
understand that although 0.5-mile of the Columbia
Road Corridor falls within the Fairmount Corridor,
it is not seen as part of the train-centric Fairmount
Indigo Line station areas. Moon added that
community organizations think “the introduction of
bus rapid transit on Blue Hill Ave will compete with
the Fairmount line and take away ridership even
though it is different origins and destinations.” 17 This
may also be a concern on Columbia Road as bus
transit improves in that area.
Alice Brown, who was interviewed in regards to Go
Boston 2030, had similar thoughts on the relationship
between the Fairmount Indigo Line and Columbia
Road. She shared, “there’s been a full decade
more thinking and passion and advocacy for the
Fairmount corridor than for the Columbia Road
corridor. I think we believe in it and have more of a
community identity of being along the Fairmount
line than being along Columbia road. They
intersect, but they’re almost like parallel corridors
that are having conversations about them.” 18
These comments highlight a common issue for the
Columbia Road corridor: the street is considered
a barrier between neighborhoods and residents
do not see their neighborhoods as connected or
sharing a sense of identity. 19 When we asked Moon
what could be done to reflect community needs in
future plans, she said that the real challenge was
to get people to buy-in to the idea that improving
Columbia Road will be better, quicker and more
efficient for all types of road uses. 20 Moon said, “an
enjoyable environment for people to take transit or
for walking and biking along Columbia Road can
all fit together on Columbia Road. The challenge is
that you’re up against people that see Columbia
Road as a highway that divides their communities,
and there are a lot of people who like to drive
their cars because they think it’s quicker than taking
transit. It’s really a lot about changing people’s
perceptions and their behavior, which is hard.” 21
16 Moon, interview.
17 Ibid.
18 Brown, interview.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
Activating Columbia Road: Reframing a Missing Link
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