Letters to the Editor

A Vision for the Future

To the Editor,

​It was not all that long ago when the major cities throughout the United States, including Boston, were the cradle of community as they were comprised of multi-generational family-oriented neighborhoods. In fact, 1966 was the year that the population of people living in the suburbs surpassed that of the central cities for the first time in U.S. history. When speaking with someone who grew up in one of these neighborhoods, it is abundantly clear how strong their pride and sense of community is.

This strong sense of community came not only from residents sharing a similar background of their parents or grandparents coming to this country with nothing but their hopes and dreams after fleeing famine, poverty, and oppression, it was also due to the neighborhood’s architectural layout and high density of people living closely amongst one another. High-density neighborhoods can create a stronger sense of community than in the suburbs, where homes and people are spread apart, for the simple fact that when residents immediately step outside of their front doors, they are in a shared space and have the opportunity to interact with others more frequently. The fact that nearly all amenities and community institutions are within walking distance can further contribute to these social interactions, whereas a suburban town requires a resident to heavily rely on a vehicle. The architecture of charming townhouses and beautiful stone and brick buildings also significantly adds to the special aesthetic in the neighborhoods, which undoubtedly has an impact on anyone living there.

The tie that binds a community together is the family. Today, Boston is the 5th major U.S. city with the least number of children, only having more than Scottsdale 4th, Pittsburgh 3rd, Seattle 2nd, and San Francisco 1st. These cities, which are the focal points and leaders of each state or region, are disconnected from the rest of the country where families and communities areconcerned. So why aren’t these major cities, like Boston, actively trying to build community in their neighborhoods by attracting and retaining families? Why does the current public discussion seem to revolve around closing and consolidating schools due to low enrollment instead ofasking why there are so few children and families living in Boston? Although each neighborhood will likely have different answers, Charlestown is an example of a neighborhood where families desire to live. Though Charlestown has the highest share of children age 0-9, strengthening and building on the community seems like an uphill battle as many families leave primarily due to two basic needs: education and family-sized housing. 

Concerning education, Charlestown has 3 great elementary schools in the area (Warren-Prescott, Harvard Kent, Eliot School) which is a result of both parental/community involvement and great school leadership. Sadly, we know of instances where a Charlestown student is not able to get into one of these schools, which is not right. Every Charlestown student should be able to attend one of the local schools as it is ideal for them to be able to walk or travel a short distance to school by bus. Perhaps BPS should explore expanding one of the elementary schools if they have not already. In contrast to the highly-attended elementary schools is Charlestown High School, which consists of only about 10% Charlestown students and is roughly 700 students short of capacity. Serious conversations should be had to determine what can be done to attract local students to attend Charlestown High School so that it too can be like the elementary schools and be a draw for families to live in Charlestown.

Concerning family-sized housing, data released by the BPDA showed that the housing stock in Charlestown consists of only 16.9% 3 bedrooms and 9.8% 4 bedrooms. As families grow in size, they are unable to find or afford a larger square foot 3-4 bedroom townhouse or condo. High prices in real estate signal the need for more supply, so it is abundantly clear that a greater supply of this larger family housing is needed when we see how high it is selling for. This much-needed increase in supply may be difficult seeing as special interests want to cram in as many smaller units as possible. Even those special interests that want to erect imposing 180ft tall buildings off of Medford St deflected when asked about committing to larger 3-4 bedroom units for families during a recorded virtual Zoom meeting that can be viewed online. If more supply of family-sized housing of townhouses and/or condos is not built, it will become only obtainable by those with exorbitant wealth, who do not appear to remain very long judging by the property history of highly-priced homes that are on the market.

In closing, we have an opportunity to start a movement to strengthen and build on the existing community in Charlestown. This goal can be accomplished by speaking openly about vital issues like improving or expanding local schools and by directing new developments to consist of forever homes for families so that the strong sense of community, that was once very prevalent, can spread throughout the neighborhood. The movement to bring back community to the City of Boston has to start somewhere and it has to start sometime, and with the 250thanniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill approaching, what better place than here and what better time than now.

Phil Carr III

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