The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:
Join us for an exciting, three-day design charrette with the project team as we sketch through alternative visions for the redesign of the Watertown Square area, at 64 Pleasant St. (same location as our Oct. 17 project kickoff).
A charrette is a collaborative planning process during which an interdisciplinary team of planners, designers, transportation experts, city officials, residents, business owners, other interested people, and most importantly you, work together to create a shared design vision of a particular area. The goal of the process is to capture the vision, values, and ideas of the community.
Our charrette will feature consultant Jeff Speck (who gave the keynote presentation at the Oct. 17 kickoff; you can watch the broadcast here), with urban design expertise from Utile and transportation planning from Stantec.
The charrette will start Tuesday evening, Nov. 28, 2023 (5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.), with an overview of existing conditions analysis, feedback from the Kitchen Table Conversations (KTCs), and a summary of results from the Polis survey. You can participate in the Polis survey through November 17, 2023.
Throughout Nov. 29 and 30, 2023 (9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.), the project team will invite input from the community and interested groups to collectively sketch through options for the reconfiguration of streets and public space around Watertown Square. These sessions will be held mornings/afternoons in smaller working groups, with informal evening presentations to summarize leading options for the Square’s redesign. During the final evening (Nov. 30), the consultant team will present desired outcomes that will inform the next phase of our project and vision of Watertown Square.
All are welcome to drop in to speak with the project team. Please bring your ideas on the future of our community! We hope to see you at 64 Pleasant St. throughout Nov. 28–30, 2023 at the charrette.
WHERE: 64 Pleasant St.
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 28, through Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Reminder: Polis Survey Closes Nov. 17, 2023
As a reminder, the City of Watertown launched a new online survey on Oct. 26, 2023 to collect people’s opinions about key issues in Watertown Square. The online Polis engagement platform allows users to submit their own comments as well as review and provide feedback on other comments submitted about the Watertown Square Area Plan. We encourage all interested community members to take this survey by Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.
To the designers, let’s make use of the air space about the square as well. Someone mentioned footbridges and another mentioned tree canopies at the initial meeting. Another person mentioned bike flyovers in Watertown Sq. Let’s add rooftop gardens! Also let’s not forget underground. Maybe a Charles River Chunnel? Everything is crumbling – infrastructure, institutions, the way we live. Now is the time to build anew, and everything is on the table.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bike+flyovers+rooftop+footbridges&qpvt=bike+flyovers+rooftop+footbridges&form=IGRE&first=1
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/worlds-best-pedestrian-bridges