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Esplanade 2020
A vision for the Esplanade's future
The Esplanade 2020 Final Report contains guiding principles and clearly defined objectives for the park’s future. It illustrates how these principles, consistently applied, can transform Boston’s waterside park into one of the world’s great urban outdoor spaces. With your help, we can make it happen.
Background
In 2009 The Esplanade Association (TEA) initiated Esplanade 2020, a park visioning study, in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to recommend and prioritize park improvements. The goal of Esplanade 2020 is “To forge a shared vision for the park’s future—one rooted in its nineteenth century origins, but looking forward to address the needs of the broad contemporary public.”
The Charles River Esplanade ranks among the Commonwealth’s greatest assets. It lies at the center of a network of parks planned by landscape architect Charles Eliot in the 1890s—indeed, he called the Esplanade the system’s “crown jewel.” More than a century later, however, the jewel has lost its sparkle. The Esplanade needs revitalization and long-term care. A lack of resources, repeatedly deferred maintenance, and extraordinary popularity (an estimated 3 million annual visitors, reaching a typical daily peak of 20,000 in summer) have degraded the park’s paths, landscape, and beautiful original structures. The Esplanade has been “loved to death.” Although several studies have identified some of the park’s biggest problems, a broad vision for its future has never emerged. Until now.
As part of the park’s centennial in 2010, TEA assembled a team of leading Boston design and planning specialists to take a fresh look at every element of the park. Working closely with the DCR (the park’s owner), park users, and major stakeholders, this dedicated group of volunteers spent more than a year crafting a vision of what this remarkable open-space resource could become. Landscape architects, urban designers, architects, horticulturists, transportation experts, and graphic designers donated thousands of hours to the 2020 Vision Committee. The 2020 Committee held more than a dozen meetings with the general public, individual stakeholders, business and community groups. Their input helped the committee establish guiding principles, create a vision statement, and define objectives. Esplanade 2020 illustrates ways in which these core principles, consistently applied, can transform Boston’s waterside park into one of the world’s great urban outdoor spaces.
Guiding Principles
All of the recommendations put forth in Esplanade 2020 for the park landscape, access and circulation, activities and supporting facilities, and identity, abide by these five guiding principles:
1) Reinforce the park’s traditions
Enhance and restore the core design of the park. Continue to develop ways in which the land and the water work best together and enhance the Esplanade experience. Preserve and restore the best historic settings, buildings, and sites. Ensure that new park structures complement the land.
2) Reclaim as much parkland as possible
Over the years the Esplanade has lost land to highway construction and particular interests that have taken possession of significant tracts of parkland. Esplanade 2020 aims to reclaim parkland paved over to accommodate traffic and to regain as much previously public open space as possible.
3) Make the park sustainable and maintainable
The Esplanade’s landscape and structures need to be built sustainably and strategically maintained by knowledgeable and trained staff. Establish guidelines and standards to maintain the highest quality of design, construction, and restoration for the park.
4) Make the park readily accessible
The park needs to be accessible in the broadest sense: easily reached from different points across the city and universally accessible to people of every physical ability level. This would include better pedestrian and bicycle access and strategic wayfinding, both within and outside the park.
5) Provide modern facilities for modern uses throughout the year
Upgrade the Esplanade to accommodate 21st-century activities and uses that cater to all people. Any new facility and setting should represent the best designs of its era, while insuring the broadest range of year-round uses possible.
Project News
On February 9th, TEA held a public meeting at the Boston Public Library to present Esplanade 2020 Unveiled, a vision for the Esplanade's future. More than 350 people were in attendance.
The meeting was moderated by Dr. Theodore Landsmark, President of the Boston Architectural College, and gave the public an opportunity to hear from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Edward M. Lambert, Jr. and some of the report’s principal authors. The public had a chance to learn about and comment on the recommendations set forth in Esplanade 2020.
Join this Effort
For more information about Esplanade 2020 and how to get involved, contact Jessica Pederson, Project Manager, at 617-227-0365 x104 or jpederson@esplanadeassociation.org.
Support a vision for a world class park by clicking here. For more information about how to support Esplanade 2020, contact Megan Sampson, Development Manager, at 617-227-0365 x103 or msampson@esplanadeassociation.org.
Photos/Illustrations - Header ©2011 Frank Constantino; (1) Peter Vanderwarker
The Esplanade Association
376 Boylston Street, Suite 503
Boston, MA 02116
617.227.0365