Boston

Anondson
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Boston

Postby Anondson » October 27th, 2014, 9:42 pm

Save Boston from sea level rise by ... installing canals?

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29761274

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Re: Boston

Postby Anondson » June 7th, 2015, 8:01 am

A column on the tower boom in Boston. 50+ high rise towers proposed or under construction.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater ... story.html

It's a truly good topic for any city. At times you wish for the problem of ugly towers proposed when your town has had a drought of them at all. But barren plazas for diva towers are rather destructive for the street life of a city.

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Re: Boston

Postby mplsjaromir » September 14th, 2015, 7:21 am

Some here may not like the way our light rail is being built, but at least we don't have Boston levels of ineptitude. $700 million per mile for their Green Line Extension.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/ ... story.html

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Re: Boston

Postby EOst » September 14th, 2015, 8:06 am

ineptitude
?

Things cost what they cost.

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Re: Boston

Postby mplsjaromir » September 14th, 2015, 8:17 am

The project budget is artificially inflated, inept planning and uncaring pols. It might be a more difficult segment than MSP's Green Line, but it is not nine times more difficult.

Here is a good primer.

http://amateurplanner.blogspot.com/2015 ... -mbta.html

This project is hideous in comparison to other North American cities' projects, don't even bother comparing it the French or Spanish.

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Re: Boston

Postby FISHMANPET » September 14th, 2015, 8:17 am

ineptitude
?

Things cost what they cost.
This is an incredibly toxic view to have. Transit construction costs are out of control in this country. I'd bet you could tunnel in Spain for less than the cost of this surface rail in existing ROW. Being a transit advocate doesn't just mean being in favor of every single hair brained transit scheme, and it also doesn't mean accepting insane construction costs along with it.

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Re: Boston

Postby Silophant » September 14th, 2015, 8:45 am

I'm not arguing that American infrastructure construction costs aren't horrendously overinflated. They are. But... it's maybe not a great idea to build stuff for as little money as European cities do.
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Re: Boston

Postby mplsjaromir » September 14th, 2015, 9:14 am

The funny thing is that the Danes, or the Swedish or the Germans do not have low cost transit projects. They are closer to North American costs than they are to French or Spanish costs.

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Re: Boston

Postby EOst » September 14th, 2015, 9:18 am

This is an incredibly toxic view to have. Transit construction costs are out of control in this country. I'd bet you could tunnel in Spain for less than the cost of this surface rail in existing ROW. Being a transit advocate doesn't just mean being in favor of every single hair brained transit scheme, and it also doesn't mean accepting insane construction costs along with it.
YMMV, but honestly I think calling transit agencies inept and stupid is actually quite a bit more toxic than accepting that they're constrained by structural factors beyond their control. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If there are ways to bring those costs down without compromising safety, accessibility, and environmental impacts--the things those cheap third-world transit projects tend to neglect--then by all means, we should work to make them possible. But calling someone who works in a planning office "inept" because he works in the US and not China is deflecting from the real issues.

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Re: Boston

Postby EOst » September 14th, 2015, 9:24 am

I'm not at all certain that the person who wrote that primer has any real understanding of the MBTA's Green Line expansion. Handwaving away the relocation of commuter tracks (which have to stay active during the whole construction), vertical circulation (all the stations are in a depressed rail corridor), and construction costs (higher in Boston than in LA or Minneapolis even for non-transit projects) doesn't give me much confidence.

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Re: Boston

Postby mplsjaromir » September 14th, 2015, 9:25 am

YMMV, but honestly I think calling transit agencies inept and stupid is actually quite a bit more toxic than accepting that they're constrained by structural factors beyond their control. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If there are ways to bring those costs down without compromising safety, accessibility, and environmental impacts--the things those cheap third-world transit projects tend to neglect--then by all means, we should work to make them possible. But calling someone who works in a planning office "inept" because he works in the US and not China is deflecting from the real issues.
The comparisons of Boston is to other U.S. cities. Compared to other U.S. cities, even expensive ones, Boston looks terrible. They are particularly bad at containing costs. No reason for Boston's projects to be so expensive.

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Re: Boston

Postby Wedgeguy » September 14th, 2015, 1:23 pm

Most other cities don't have close to 300 years worth of old to new infrastructure and old, tight, and well developed space to squeeze in between either. The Big Dig should have taught us that Boston will always have higher costs due to the ground type they are working with (marsh that was filled in over 100 years ago, many times with wood piles used to stabilize the ground beneath structures, the matter for historical structures that may have to be worked around, and has layers of functions that are many times one on top of the other. Food for thought!

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Re: Boston

Postby mplsjaromir » September 14th, 2015, 2:18 pm

The line extension is not going through any Colonial areas nor is it being built on landfill. Its going through an area that developed at the same time as Minneapolis' boom (1880-1910). The fact that it is in its own ROW should probably keep the costs down.

Its too bad that FRA doesn't just allow light rail vehicles to mix with commuter trains. That would have saved billions in this case.

In regards to the Big Dig, one overpriced boondoggle doesn't excuse another one.

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Re: Boston

Postby Wedgeguy » September 14th, 2015, 9:52 pm

Careful when you say Boondoggle as there are people on here that want to try a few miles of tunnels too, here in the metro area!

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Re: Boston

Postby trigonalmayhem » September 15th, 2015, 3:16 pm

After spending some years in Boston I can say their public works are extremely prone to corruption and all sorts of fun shenanigans when it comes to contracts and bidding for construction.

It's not quite New Jersey level, but there's plenty of guys on the port authority payroll who don't actually work there if you catch my drift.

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Re: Boston

Postby mulad » January 11th, 2016, 8:15 pm

Back in late December, The Boston Globe put up a retrospective on the Big Dig, 10 years after it opened:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/20 ... story.html

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Re: Boston

Postby Wedgeguy » January 11th, 2016, 10:21 pm

Back in late December, The Boston Globe put up a retrospective on the Big Dig, 10 years after it opened:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/20 ... story.html
Thanks for posting that article. I followed the big dig for many years while it was being build and the problems it had. My last trip to Boston the Green Monster as they called the elevated freeway was still in place. Not sure if they had finalized the approval to built it at that point. Wish I could see what it is like now. I'm sure that it is quite nice. Been watching Boston's development binge also. They have some great project in the works and UC.

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Re: Boston

Postby EOst » February 22nd, 2016, 7:29 pm

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/property/ ... expensive/

"Boston is Getting Really Expensive"

Worth noting: the most expensive area in Minneapolis (according to Trulia) is only somewhat more expensive per square foot ($238) than the least expensive and desirable neighborhood in Boston ($204), and far below the average everywhere else.

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Re: Boston

Postby talindsay » April 23rd, 2017, 9:17 pm

I stayed at an Airbnb with friends in East Boston for the marathon this year, right across from the airport. People from everywhere else in Boston and the region - Cambridge, Brookline, even Natick and other far flung areas - acted like we were taking our lives in our hands. But it's a quiet latinx neighborhood with amazing food and friendly people. Not as clean as other parts, but not bad. Rents are still high by Minneapolis standards - but I got the impression that it was affordable by east coast standards, and super convenient. I'll post a couple pictures of the neighborhood tomorrow if I can.

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Re: Boston

Postby bapster2006 » May 3rd, 2017, 7:09 pm

In Cambridge / Boston for a few days having fun. Visited Harvard today. Cambridge is like Dinkytown spread out for miles. It has 300+% the population density of St Louis Park. I am really enjoying it. Cheapo records, urban Target format, etc. It's a fun area.


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