CRC's
Guide to the MDC's
Master Plan for the Charles River Basin:
The Second Century
April 2002
by Goody Clancy Associates
for the Metropolitan District Commission
The MDC's beautifully illustrated,
196-page document describes the history and current usage of the parklands
surrounding the lower Charles River — the area known variously as
the Basin, the Charles, or simply, the river. For purposes of easy identification
and consistency, the area covered by the Master Plan is referred to from
here on in the accompanying commentary as the "Charles River Parklands,"
or, "the Parklands." Throughout the published document, however, the historical
convention of "the Basin" is used to describe the overall area.
By reading the Master
Plan in whole or in part, you'll be making a contribution to the Parklands
renewal effort. As an informed commentator, your thoughts about
how to make the Parklands more user friendly and fun to visit can make
a real difference for fellow Parkland users, especially if you wish to
comment at crc@thecharles.org.
Ready
to dive in? The Plan sets forth a comprehensive set of improvements to
be implemented throughout the Parklands over the next 15 years. It contains
seven sections plus appendices. The following links take you to brief
summaries of each major section of the Master Plan:
Please be patient
The beginning of each summary
contains its own link to a "pdf" file of that section. Please be patient
while these pdf files are downloading; they are very large (usually 1
megabyte or more) because of the extensive graphics.
To read or print "pdf" files,
you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system. If you
do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download
it for free from Adobe Systems, Inc.
Now, if you're set to "drill
down" into the various parts of the Master Plan, here's a brief summary
of each major section.
1:
Introduction (pages 1-2) This overview begins with the Basin's
origins, lists public resources and access, describes widespread deterioration,
and presents the rationale of the Plan, which is a "guide for management,
planning, and design decisions."
2:
Character & History (pages 3-6) The 8.5-mile long Basin consists
of three character zones. Stretching to the west from the Charles River
Dam (on which rests the Science Museum), the Lower Basin is a manmade
lake bounded upstream by Boston University Bridge. From there, the river
narrows into the Middle Basin, which transitions into Herter Park further
to the west. Next, trees and brush along the riverbanks give the meandering
Upper Basin a more rural quality, all the way to the Watertown Dam. A
historical sketch starts with the Algonquin Indians and proceeds through
colonial settlement, industrialization, Charles Eliot's vision (Eliot
first conceived of the Parklands and an integrated metropolitan park system
with the Charles River Parklands at their center). This section also deals
with the acquisition of the Parklands, and further changes planned for
parkways and bicycle paths.
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3:
Systems of the Charles River Basin (pages 7-12) The Master Plan
characterizes the Basin as "five coexisting systems: a living landscape
of flora and fauna, a set of prehistoric and historic resources, a ribbon
of parklands, a network of paths and parkways, and an outstanding resource
for boating" -- all of which combine to create many scenic and recreational
resources.
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4:
Uses & Perception of the Charles River Basin (pages 13-20) Devoted
to the ways that people use and perceive the Basin and its Parklands,
this section presents details on specific areas and activities (such as
boating, walking/biking trails, picnic tables), and includes a short list
and description of the specific parks within the Basin. It also lists
214 special events that took place in 1997, and describes the results
of a telephone survey of 500 households living in neighborhoods adjacent
to the Parklands.
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5:
Principles & Recommendations (pages 21-76) This section contains
the core of planned improvements, beginning with 17 guiding principles
that range from "The Charles River Basin is the heart of a connected regional
system" to "The character-defining features of the historic landscape
shall be preserved."
Two dozen management
goals are organized around the historic landscape, the natural landscape,
the river itself, the parks, and the parkways and paths. Seven
subsections contain specific recommendations concerning historic resources;
the river itself; riverbanks and scenery; river structures (such as seawalls
and dams); the parklands; park structures and amenities (such as boathouses,
park furniture, bathrooms and water fountains); and parkways, bridges,
and paths, including pedestrian crossings. Each of these subsections examines
details of existing conditions and issues (such as swimming, pathways,
or shrubbery), then recommends specific actions and projects for redressing
these issues.
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6:
Management & Implementation (pages 77-88) This section explores
the administration and logistics of implementing and managing the Master
Plan. It looks at communication, funding, and staffing issues. Lobbying,
investment and volunteer efforts are three vital funding components. Priorities
and costs are presented on page 83. A listing of basinwide projects follows
(such as widening and improving pathways throughout the Basin). It then
presents cost summaries covering a 15-year period. It should be
noted that cost assumptions may well understate the actual costs of implementing
the Master Plan and sustainable maintenance programs. Also, the Master
Plan makes no provision for planning or funding the renewal of bridges
within the Parklands. Neither does it deal with traffic mitigation, which
becomes more of a compelling issue daily as the Big Dig nears completion.
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7:
Key Project Areas (pages 89-164) Previous sections focused on the
Charles River Basin as a whole. This section applies the systemwide guiding
principles, goals and recommendations to specific project areas within
the Basin. "The concept plans and sketches that follow are not intended
as finished schematic designs; instead they illustrate basic planning
and design objectives and provide a basis for conceptual cost estimates."
This section can be accessed either through the 30 individual project
areas (in geographical order below), or can be read in their entirety
through two files.
Each project area examines
key resource(s), area history, existing conditions and issues, and goals;
then gives recommendations, which may include alternative treatments.
For those who care deeply about all or part of the Parklands, this
section and the assumptions underlying it clearly imply the need for broad-based,
rationalized citizen participation in the planning process.
| The
Charles River Conservancy is dedicated to facilitating the Master
Plan, with citizen-based planning input central to its mission.
While the Charles River Parklands are owned and stewarded by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and are open to all, local constituencies,
user groups and abutters have a vital role to play in their renewal,
a mission clearly substantiated by the Master Plan. |
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Seven
appendices present a variety of details that expand on specific areas
of the Master Plan.
8A:
Prehistory (pages 165-166) Describes the area's archeological
record; lists 4 areas where prehistoric materials have been excavated
or demonstrated to exist, and 6 additional areas where prehistoric remnants
may exist.
8B:
The Historic Era (pages 167-176) Begins with the colonial view
of the Charles River, then describes industrial development and pollution,
Eliot's vision, planning of the Parklands, changes in the 1930s and environmentalism
in the 1960s. A chart of Basin elements describes when they were created
and gives their present condition.
8C:
Public Participation (pages 177-178) Describes public participation
in four phases of the planning process of developing the Master Plan and
lists the goals of five subcommittees.
8D:
Landscape Maintenance (pages 179-184) Gives details of tasks for
implementation and maintenance of shrubs, trees and groundcover, including
turf, grasses and wildflowers.
8E.
Planting Lists (pages 185-190) Lists species of groundcover, shrubs
and trees for parkways and riverbanks
8F:
Riverbank Establishment & Maintenance (pages 191-192) Gives details
of tasks for implementation and maintenance of riverbanks, including turf,
medium herbaceous and woody understory, wooded banks, and gravel shoreline.
8G:
Criteria for Siting a New Boathouse (pages 193-196) An extensive
table describes how each of 12 different parkland sites would relate to
five criteria: access to public transit, available parking, impacts on
parkland, benefits to park users, and impacts on watersheet. It concludes
that five areas stand out as positive potential sites for a new boathouse.
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