News

UPD students tour Boston

The Department of Urban Planning and Design hosted its annual bus tour of Boston on September 7. Led by Alex Krieger (professor in practice of urban design) and Kathy Spiegelman (vice president of campus planning and development for Northeastern University and instructor for the first year core planning studio) the bus tour introduces first year UPD students to the history of planning and development in Boston. 

The tour began at Gund Hall, and went first to the East Boston waterfront. From there, students visited the World Trade Center and Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Castle Island and Dorchester Heights in South Boston and the JFK Library in Dorchester. The tour ended with a walk along Boston Harbor from Rowes Wharf to Long Wharf. Margaret Scott (MUP’15) a native of nearby Brookline, said she was familiar with many of the places the tour hit. “However, I had never considered any of the places with a critical perspective and appreciated the opportunity to hear the history of each area and also to see visually how the areas are connected.”

Matt Furman (MUP ’15) appreciated learning about the recent planning history of the city. “The tour illuminated how major planning projects, such as the Big Dig, can have transformative and far ranging effects on a whole region,” he said.