map-lab, inc.

With the news of Boston's Downtown Crossing seeking to become a new Business Improvement District, as well as the ongoing problems of the stalled development at the old Filene's Building and a growing number of empty storefronts in the area, map-lab decided to take a more in depth look at possible solutions. Through a series of competition entries, we proposed a new masterplan for the district, which put focus back on the pedestrian and micro-retail. 

We took the bold move of transforming the entire length of Washington Street (from Chinatown to the Old State House) into a car-free pedestrian zone. Along with this, we propose the addition of modular micro-retail containers which would provide "pause moments" for the pedestrians as well as introduce a smaller scale of economy in an area previously dominated by large retail establishments.

By taking advantage of vacant and underutilized sites, we transformed a parking lot into a transportation hub for the Silver Line and a stalled development project into a temporary restaurant pavillion to exhibit local cafes and restaurants from within the Downtown Crossing District. 

Please see our lab_blog for more information on this project.