Abstract
The Terrascope Class of 2024 chose to focus on the city of Boston as a case study for the development of green spaces and wildlife corridors within a pre-existing urban area. The solution proposal developed for Boston focuses on four target areas with the greatest potential for development: (1) Sprague Pond, (2) the West Roxbury wildlife corridors and quarry, (3) the Mattapan neighbourhood, and (4) the South Bay Harbor Trail. This proposal outlines forms of green spaces or wildlife corridors which should be constructed, addresses specific local issues and stakeholders, and provides a general estimation for the cost of each project.
Target area one discusses collaboration between the Boston city government, landowners, and environmental organizations in order to uphold sustainability and prevent pollution of wetland systems. Target area two discusses the development of wildlife corridors to connect green spaces, as well as the reclamation and restoration of a quarry into natural habitat. Target area three focuses on the construction of new parks within residential areas in order to create “stepping stone” wildlife corridors, while target area four involves the extension of pre-existing wildlife corridors or pathways. In total, the estimated cost for construction in all four project sites is $15.2 million, largely to be funded by the Boston Department of Parks and Recreation.
Background
The city of Boston covers roughly 31,000 acres of land. According to a 2014 study, 7,300 acres of that land, or approximately 24% of the city, is open space, and the number of documented trees averages out to about 6 trees per acre throughout the entire city.[1], [2] While over 30% of some cities, such as Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC, is green space, less than 10% of other cities like Denver, CO and New Orleans, LA are green space.[3]
Despite these numbers, the city of Boston can decrease fragmentation and increase biodiversity by assessing the quality and placement of its green spaces. Read more...
Design Proposal
The Terrascope Class of 2024 has a proposed solution plan for Boston which focuses on four target areas: Sprague Pond, the West Roxbury wildlife corridors and quarry, the Mattapan neighborhood, and the South Bay Harbor Trail. This proposal outlines forms of green spaces or wildlife corridors which should be constructed, addresses specific local issues and stakeholders, and provides a general estimation for the cost of each project. Read more...
Budget
The comprehensive development of green spaces and wildlife corridors in Boston is expected to cost a total of $15.2 million, distributed across four project sites in the city. The first target area is Sprague Pond, where water quality monitoring and stormwater drainage education efforts will be implemented. The Terrascope Class of 2024 proposal for restoration in Sprague Pond does not include construction or physical development, and there are thus no calculated additional costs of implementation. Target area two involves reclamation of the West Roxbury Quarry and development of additional wildlife corridors, which will comprise $8.4 million based on scaling of the costs associated with previous similar projects. Park construction associated with target area three will cost a total of $5.2 million, while wildlife corridor extensions in target area four will cost a projected $1.6 million. Read more...