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From YouTube: Open Streets Announcement - 6/2/22
Description
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference to announce new open space initiatives reimagining the use of Boston streets to foster community, joy, and play in neighborhoods this summer.
A
Yasha
franklin
hodge,
who
will
be
followed
by
our
chief
of
economic
opportunity
and
inclusion,
sugan
irawu,
then
we'll
hear
from
representatives
from
the
various
small
business
districts
involved,
annie
leif,
who
represents
fields,
corner
and
the
little
saigon,
cultural
district,
ed
gaskin
of
greater
grove,
hall,
main
streets
and
then
warren
williams
of
three
squares
main
street,
and
I
will
recognize
also,
of
course,
team
members
from
btd
and
our
comms
team
here,
but
also
our
community
engagement
team,
which
I
don't
know
why
they're
standing
over
there.
But
okay.
A
We
all
know
how
challenging
the
last
couple
years
have
been
and
it's
been
heartwarming
and
in
some
ways
a
little
bit
taken
a
little
bit
getting
used
to
to
see.
So
many
of
the
events
that
we
usually
have
every
year
only
coming
back
now,
sometimes
for
the
first
time
in
three
years,
parades
and
festivals
and
other
community
activities
to
add
to
the
array
of
options
and
the
chance
to
heal
our
communities
to
play
and
and
be
together
in
person
in
a
safe
and
supported
way.
A
One
of
them
is
open
newberry,
which
is
kind
of
its
own
initiative
that
has
been
off
and
running
for
some
time
and
we're
looking
to
finalize
all
the
details
of
that.
But
rest
assured,
even
though
I'm
not
talking
about
open
newbery
as
much
today.
That
will
happen
with
expanded
hours
and
time
frames
and
we'll
be
talking
announcing
more
a
little
bit
later
so
today,
I'll
focus
on
the
three
events
that
are
for
one
day
in
the
summer,
a
long
long
stretch
and
where
the
roadway
will
be
closed
entirely
to
car
traffic.
A
I
also
want
to
thank
our
wonderful
consultants
for
this
project,
shayna
bryant
consulting
so
sorry,
shawna
bryant
consulting
one
of
our
many
incredible
women
in
black
owned
businesses
here
in
boston,
who
have
been
working
incredibly
hard
to
plan
these
events
to
build
joy
and
community
in
our
neighborhoods.
Thank
you
shawna.
A
If
nothing
else,
the
past
two
years
have
reminded
us
of
how
precious
and
important
these
opportunities
are
to
come
together
safely,
build
joy
and
create
connection.
As
we
continue
to
explore
new
ways.
Our
city
can
create
more
of
these
opportunities,
we'll
also
be
piloting
an
initiative
called
copley
connect.
A
This
will
study
the
future
use
of
dartmouth
street
between
boylston
and
st
james
from
tuesday
june
7th
to
friday
june
17th.
The
block
between
copley
square
park
and
the
boston
public
library
will
be
closed
to
cars
and
they'll,
be
programming
from
the
library,
performances,
food
trucks
and
activities
for
youth
and
families.
B
C
Thank
you
mayor
and
thank
you
to
all
the
folks
here
who
have
been
played
such
a
crucial
role
in
bringing
these
events
together.
So
we're
excited
to
announce
these
three
open
streets.
Events
as
well
as
the
copley
connect
program.
These
open
streets
programs
are
called
cyclovia
events
in
many
other
cities,
but
this
is
a
model.
That's
been
used,
as
the
mayor
said
successfully
all
over
the
world
and
really
has
created
an
incredible
opportunity
to
bring
communities
together
and
help
them
see
and
understand
their
streets
in
new
ways.
C
Open
streets
throughout
our
neighborhoods
is
part
of
the
mayor's
vision
for
connected
healthy
communities.
Long
before
the
advent
of
cars
and
cities,
streets
served
multiple
roles
for
transportation,
but
also
as
space
for
commerce
places
for
play
and
spaces
where
people
could
connect
with
their
neighbors
in
their
communities.
C
These
events
help
us
experience
the
many
different
ways
that
streets
can
serve
our
neighborhoods.
They
create
space
for
walking,
rolling,
cycling
and
coming
together
with
people
who
you
may
see
every
day
or
may
not
see
very
often,
and
they
help
us
imagine
different
futures
a
future
where
streets
serve
their
essential
transportation
functions,
but
also
bring
more
kinds
of
connectivity
than
just
moving
cars
from
a
to
b.
C
We're
working
closely
as
we
plan
these
events
with
our
public
safety
agencies,
our
traffic
engineers
and
the
mbta
to
ensure
that
residents
can
safely
circulate
during
the
times
that
streets
are
closed
to
cars
from
9
am
to
3
pm
on
these
days,
and
we
look
forward
to
work
to
continue
to
scale
up
our
open
streets
programs
to
create
celebrations
across
our
community
for
all
to
enjoy.
So
thank
you
very
much.
D
I
first
want
to
thank
chief
joshua
franklin
hodge
for
and
his
team
incredible
team
have
been
working
with
us
or
who
we've
been
have
the
privilege
of
working
with
to
help.
You
know
see
this
through
and
make
this
happen
want
to.
Thank
also
chief
cara,
elliot
ortega,
who's
not
able
to
join
us,
but
the
arts
and
culture
team
has
also
played
a
key
role
in
helping
to
make
this.
D
These
number
of
events
success,
but
the
reason
that
this
project
is
able
to
happen
is
because,
partly
you
know,
because
of
this
black
woman
who's
standing
next
to
me,
right
now
and
her
incredible
team,
I
saw
ayanna
earlier
who
I,
where
am
I
and
doc
and
domingo
who
are
here,
who
you
know
all
have
such
an
incredible
history
in
this
city
alone.
Putting
on
forget
just
the
events,
but
all
that
they've
contributed
to
the
residents
here
in
the
city
of
boston,
and
so
what
I
am
most
proud
of.
D
But
you
know
the
reason
why
something
like
this
is
important.
You
know
two
weeks
ago
we
were
talking
about
city,
fresh
foods
and
our
17
million
dollar
contract,
going
to
that
company
and,
and
today
talking
about
working
with
sean
o'brien
consultant
and
all
the
subcontractors
that
her
team
will
be
working
with.
The
reason
why
this
is
important
is
because
this
is
not
just
an
investment
in
these
businesses.
D
So
I
want
to
congratulate
sean
o'brien
consultant
for
winning
a
competitive
process
to
help
actualize
these
events
and
are
already
I'm
going
to
say
right
now,
putting
on
the
most
successful
event
in
the
city
of
boston
for
2022
and
we'll
look
forward
to
working
with
this
company
for
many
years
to
come
to
continue
to
put
on
those
successful
events.
So
I
know
I
said
I
was
going
to
be
brief,
and
I've
already
lied
to
you
on
that,
but
again
want
to
thank
sean.
D
I
want
to
thank
mayor
wu
for
prioritizing
equitable
procurement,
opening
our
streets,
new
ways
of
transportation
and
understanding
how
we
integrate
and
operate
within
our
city.
I
want
to
thank
our
main
streets
directors
who
are
here
who
have
literally
ensured
that
our
businesses
have
survived
this
pandemic
and
are
in
a
place
to
thrive
once
we
finally
emerge
out
of
this
pandemic.
E
So
I
just
want
to
say,
as
a
lifelong
resident
and
community
member,
I'm
really
excited
at
the
opportunity
to
be
able
to
work
with
the
city
of
boston,
mayor
wu,
the
department
of
transportation,
the
department
of
streets,
ons
right
all
these
other
sub
departments
that
are
really
going
to
help
us
make
sure
that
these
three
events
are.
You
know,
first
of
the
kind
in
the
city
of
boston
and
beyond
our
wildest
dreams,
they'll
be
engaging.
E
We
will
make
sure
that
they
are
multi-generational,
multicultural
and
really
a
time
to
remember,
and
so
I
just
want
to
again
acknowledge
my
team
that
I
could
not
do
this
without
domingo
martin
is
our
programming
director
and
so
all
of
the
amazing
things
that
will
be
going
on
on
the
different
streets,
the
one
that
1.2
miles
to
2
miles
in
dorchester
will
be
under
her
decades
of
experience.
We
have
my
amazing
ayanna
mack,
who
is
the
director
of
marketing,
so
all
of
the
visuals
and
collateral
and
so
forth
that
are
put
together.
E
This
is
being
led
by
the
amazing
ayanna,
and
then
we
have
our
other
team
members
that
are
not
here,
but
I
do
want
to
acknowledge
them.
Carlene
porcina,
who
is
our
outreach
director
to
make
sure
that
not
only
businesses
but
also
residents
and
so
forth,
are
aware
of
the
event
know
what's
happening
and
making
sure
that
we
get
enough
people
out
here
with
the
least
amount
of
conveniences
possible,
and
then
we
have
aisha
james,
who
is
also
working
on
the
teams
with
logistics
and
decor.
E
So
all
of
the
wow
factor,
which
I'm
really
excited
about
to
be
able
to
see
that's
going
to
happen
on
these
routes.
We
that
definitely
owe
that
to
her
her
big
wild
dreams
and
so
just
really
excited
again.
As
chief
edu
said,
bringing
together
this
group
of
black
women
and
being
able
to
add
them
to
the
payroll
of
the
city
of
boston
is
something
that
I
want
to
be
able
to
continue
to
do
so.
Thank
you
again.
F
F
G
My
name
is
ed
gaskin,
I'm
the
executive
director
of
greater
grove
hall
main
streets,
and
I
want
to
thank
the
mayor
for
selecting
greater
grove
hall
main
street
and
participating
on
the
blue
hill
avenue
open
streets.
Three
things
one
is
the.
I
want
to
thank
the
mayor
for
her
investment
in
blue
hill
avenue
so,
as
you
know,
there's
a
blue
hill
avenue
transportation
action
plan
which
it
intends
to
improve
the
experience
all
along
the
blue
avenue
corridor.
So
my
same
colleague
over
here
you
can
wave
to
it.
Thank
you.
G
We're
looking
for
amazing
things:
15
million
dollars
of
blue
hole,
avenue
improvements,
there's
also
the
blue
hill
avenue
action
plan
out
of
the
department
of
neighborhood
development
so
distributing.
I
think,
30
parcels
of
land
helping
with
economic
development,
business
growth
and
entrepreneurship
in
the
community.
So
I
don't
have
anybody
representing
dnd,
but
also
another
investment
on
blue
hill
avenue,
and
then
we
have
the
the
the
investment
that
we've
made
with
arts
and
culture.
G
So
if
you
don't
go
down
blue
hill
avenue,
you'll
notice,
the
different
murals
down
the
street
you'll
notice,
some
of
the
painted
utility
boxes
so
again
trying
to
increase
the
experience
that
you
have
when
you're
in
these
neighborhoods,
especially
for
those
who
are
going
down
bluehole
avenue.
So
I
want
to
especially
I'm
going
to
understood,
especially
thank
the
chief
of
economic
development
inclusion,
opportunity
and
all
that
and
the
mayor
for
including
the
50
000
beautification
in
their
budget.
So
obviously
we're
all
hoping
and
praying
that
that
gets
passed.
G
But
again
we
would
be
able
to
bring
more
public
art
do
more
things
in
the
community.
I
was
so
glad
to
hear
that
when
we
did
circle
the
city
that
something
like
that
was
coming
back
to
blue
hill
avenue
and
on
open
streets,
our
hope
is
that
this
would
be
an
annual
investment
in
community
development
where
parades
festivals
and
other
such
events
could
be
celebrated.
G
Think
about
like
nottingham
hill
road
in
london,
so
vendors
and
things
like
that,
so
lots
of
opportunities.
We
really
appreciate
the
investment,
so
I
just
want
to
say
thank
you
mayor
wu,
for
helping
make
our
main
street
districts
our
business
districts,
not
just
places
of
pleasure
and
enjoyment
for
the
residents
in
that
community,
but
a
tourist
destination,
whether
you're
coming
from
across
town
or
across
the
country.
Thank
you,
mayor.
H
This
is
about
bridging
the
gap.
This
is
about
opening
the
door
so
that
people
can
see
what
businesses
are
out
there
and
actually
patron
them
all
right.
Turning
this
into
a
pedestrian
walkway
for
even
one
day,
I
think
shakes
their
hands
from
neighbor
to
neighbor
to
come
out
and
actually
support
their
businesses
get
to
know
their
businesses
get
to
know
the
business
owners.
I
think
this
is
important
when
we
talk
about
community,
because
one
thing
that
we've
learned
through
the
pandemic
is
that
we
need
each
other
as
people.
H
We
can't
look
at
it
from
one
side
and
say
it's
all
about
the
businesses
or
it's
all
about
the
residents.
No,
it's
about
everybody,
it's
about
bridging
the
gap
and
filling
the
void.
Thank
you,
mayor
wu,
for
making
this
possible.
Thank
you
for
all
the
support
of
all
the
different
moving
parts,
because
it
didn't
take
just
one
department.
It
takes
a
village
and
you've
shown
that
we
are
that
village
and
this
investment
is
huge
in
our
community
and
it
only
shows
more
and
more
that
we
can
do
this
if
we
support
each
other
all
right.
H
This
is
the
community
that
felt
like
it
was
ostracized
and
put
to
the
side,
but
by
this
investment
it
shows
that
we
are
inclusive.
It's
all
a
part
of
when
this
was
first
talked
about.
We
sat
around
the
table
and
we
asked
the
businesses
and
the
residents.
What
would
you
like
to
see?
What
part
would
you
like
to
play
and
everybody
plays
a
viable
part,
because
this
city
is
multi-faceted,
it
has
a
lot
of
different
moving
parts
and
we're
great
at
what
we
do-
and
this
is
just
another
cog
in
the
wheel
to
expose
that.
H
A
A
This
says
so
this
year
we
hosted
a
slightly
different
budget
process.
Okay,
sorry,
let
me
pause
for
one
second:
are
there
any
questions
specifically
on
open
streets?
No,
okay,
then
I
will
jump
in.
We
ran
a
budget
process
that
started
with
community
engagement
for
the
very
first
time.
Usually,
the
mayor's
office
creates
a
budget
hands
it
to
the
city
council.
There's
hearings
way
at
the
end
and
then,
by
that
time,
very
little
can
change.
A
We
ran
a
budget
process
where
we
hosted
listening
sessions
in
partnership
with
city
council
and,
in
fact,
one
of
the
top
concerns
that
came
back
through
that
process
was
this
particular
property
cranes.
Ledge
is
an
area
bordering
a
couple
different
neighborhoods
roslindale
matapan,
where
there
is
a
privately
owned
parcel
with
a
contract
with
a
developer
to
turn
part
of
that
into.
A
I
think
housing
is
the
plan
right
now.
This
is
a
private
property
and
there's
only
so
much
that
the
city
can
do
when
it
is
a
private
property.
I
am
grateful
to
the
property
owners
who
have
been
in
contact
with
the
city
as
we
continue
to
push
for
some
resolution
and
some
conversation
now.
I
know
the
property
owners
have
their
full
rights
in
using
that
parcel.
A
We
need
to
preserve
our
trees,
and
so
again
this
is
not
a
city-owned
parcel,
and
so
we
don't
have
full
authority
over
what
can
happen
there.
But
there
are
funds
proposed
in
this
budget
cycle
for
acquisition
of
open
space
that
could
then
be
forever
protected
as
green
space.
But
again
it's
it's
a
complex
conversation
and
one
that
is.
C
C
We
want
to
touch
as
as
many
parts
of
the
neighborhoods
as
we
can,
and
so,
but
we
also
want
this
to
be
something
that
really
benefits
local
businesses,
and
so
we
looked
at
the
streets
and
the
sections
of
the
streets
that
had
you
know
strong
local
business
districts
attached
to
them
and
would
give
us
that
kind
of
sense
where
people
can
really.
You
know
they
can
travel
if
they're
on
a
bike,
they
can
maybe
go
back
and
forth
the
whole
distance
or
maybe
walk
a
large
portion
of
the
site.
C
I
mean
look.
This
is
similar
to
any
other
big
public
event
that
we
might
do,
whether
it's
a
road
race
or
a
parade.
We
do
close
streets
on
a
pretty
regular
basis
in
boston
and
the
key
is
just
communicating
with
people.
We
do
extensive
traffic
management
planning
around
this
to
look
at
whether
there's
other
changes
that
need
to
happen
on
adjacent
roadways.
We
work
with
the
mbta
to
for
any
bus
diversions
that
need
to
happen.
So
really.
C
This
is
about
communicating
first
and
foremost,
giving
people
a
chance
to
plan
ahead,
giving
people
a
sense
of
what's
going
to
happen
where
we
can
and
need
to
creating
alternate
routes
for
people.
There
will
be
on
some
of
these
routes.
Some
strategic
crossing
points
where
we
need
to
allow
vehicles
to
cross
the
route
and-
and
so
the
traffic
management
team
means
working
closely
with
the
event
organizers
to
plan
that
out
and
minimize
any
kind
of
disruption.
A
A
A
But
this
is
something
new
and
different
that
we
hope
to
expand
in
the
future,
but
we're
starting
with
three
key
areas
of
the
city,
one
a
month
to
take
it
at
a
reasonable
pace
and
on
a
weekend
so
that
there's
a
little
bit
lighter
traffic.
In
terms
of
you
know,
school
is
out
anyway,
but
folks
don't
aren't.
Thinking
about
you
know
those
who
work
more
traditional
working
schedules
could
be
out
and
about
instead
of
commuting
into
work,
and
so
I
want
to
thank
our
public
safety
agencies
as
well.
A
You
know
for
it
took
a
bit
of
it.
It's
taken
a
lot
of
coordination
for
them
to
manage
and
map
out
all
the
contingency
planning,
and
how
all
of
that
you
know
from
emergency
response
to
public
safety
of
visitors
on
those
streets
will
happen.
That
has
all
been.
You
know
week
by
week
the
the
conversation
progresses
and
we
feel
very
good
with
where
we
are
now
and
at
the
end
of
the
day.
A
You
know
we're
announcing
this
here
at
the
curley
school,
because
it
is
on
the
route
of
one
of
the
planned
events,
but
also
our
young
people
and
their
families
deserve
to
have
that
sense
of
carefree
complete
ownership
of
public
space.
I
have
two
kids
they're
very
active
as
much
as
I
tell
them
to
stand
one
place.
I
turn
around
and
they're
gone.
A
It
is
so
freeing
that
where
the
kids
can
just
scooter
down
or
ride
their
bikes
or
run
around-
and
you
don't
have
to
worry
about
a
thing
except
for
taking
in
all
the
community-
that's
there
the
fun,
the
music,
the
the
offerings
that
the
small
businesses
have.
So
we
want
to
make
sure
that
everyone
has
the
most
exciting
healthy,
supportive
summer
possible.