Tag Archives: Boston

With all the construction happening in the South End and Seaport it can be easy to forget that the number of large construction projects happening in downtown Boston neighborhoods is astounding when compared to the city’s recent history.

One project that recently caught my attention is The Hub on Causeway, which is transforming the West End. The project includes office space, housing, hotel, retail and more:

• more than 850,000+ square feet of office space
• more than 200,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, including a new grocery store and cinema
• 540 new underground parking connected to an existing garage
• 440 residential units
• 260 room hotel

In a new national survey from Urban Land Institute and PwC, Boston’s real estate market stands out. The survey, which ranks the hottest real estate markets in the U.S. saw Boston jump three spots to seventh in the nation.

“Boston is at the center of a number of real estate trends like redevelopment,  technology, and sustainability.”

Boston’s younger workforce, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) job market, sustainability efforts and redevelopment were all attributed to the rating jump. Boston scored exceptionally high when it comes to investors’ demand and local public-private investments.

In the survey, Dallas-Fort Worth ranked number 1 in the nation but Boston’s ranking as 7th best makes it the highest-ranked gateway market in the 2019 survey. You can see where other U.S. cities rank in this annual survey in the PwC report on page 37, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2019.

Earlier this week the Boston Business Journal reported that Mayor Marty Walsh is looking to increase Boston’s housing goal from building 53,000 units to 69,000 new units (a 30% increase) by the year 2030.

Back in 2014 the city of Boston’s population was just under 660,000 and was expected to grow to just over 700,000 by 2030. But with Boston’s population growth has forced the city to revisit their initial forecast and revise their population estimate to approximately 760,000 residents by 2030.

The neighborhoods that the Mayor would like to focus on building new housing includes Sullivan Square, Newmarket and Widett Circle, the Fort Point Channel, Suffolk Downs, Readville and Beacon Yards. The mayor is also boosting the number of affordable-housing units goal to 15,820, which (if met) would mean Boston would have approximately 70,000 new income-restricted units.

You can read the full article from the BBJ here.

Earlier this summer I wrote a post about HUBweek, which will take place this year from October 8-14. The annual fall festival celebrates innovation  in art, science and technology when it takes over Boston’s City Hall Plaza later this year. Michael Bloomberg, Malcolm Gladwell, Deepak Chopra and Atul Gawande were previously announced as speakers at this year’s event. Earlier this week HUBweek organizers said NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd and Parkland  shooting survivor, David Hogg will also be coming to speak at the festival.

Dowd will take part in HUBweek Forums, discussing how the future will look in terms of everything from cities to health and medicine and Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and a co-founder of March for Our Lives, will be part of a HUBweek forum in Faneuil Hall on “the successes and challenges of the nationwide student-led movement to end gun violence”.

Many pf the events during HUBweek are free but they do fill up. Learn more here: hubweek.org

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat returns to Boston this Saturday. The event which only takes place in six cities nationally, was first held in Boston last summer. The fun event brings together bikes, beer and music with proceeds going to the Bike Union; a group that advocates for safer streets and increased ridership throughout Boston.

Tour de Fat is at City Hall Plaza on Saturday, August 11th from 12-5PM. Admission is $15 — or free for all volunteers so get your tickets today.

Tour de Fat Boston
Saturday, August 11th
12 p.m.  – 5 p.m.
City Hall Plaza

HUBweek (October 8-14) is a festival for the future that celebrates innovation  in art, science and technology. HUBweek will kick off with events taking place all across the city, but will be centered on Boston’s City Hall Plaza, which will be transformed (once again) into a mini village of semi-permanent structures.

Join thought leaders like Medford-native Michael Bloomberg, Malcolm Gladwell, Deepak Chopra, Atul Gawande and more; connect with 100+ of Boston’s most impactful start-ups; and interact with Boston’s creative economy and those who are helping rethink Boston’s future.

Many events are free but do fill up. There are also events that require ticket purchases, but there is an “early bird special” running through July 24th.

Learn more here: hubweek.org