Detail from a 1917 atlas of Newton showing the YMCA building at bottom left. Click to enlarge.

Happy Birthday, West Suburban YMCA! [Read more →]

In a post yesterday, “livable communities” blogger Steve Miller suggested a healthy environment requires three things:

1. Smart Growth,
2. Active Transportation, and
3. Human-Scale Architecture.

This year, we’ve written about smart growth, some definitions of it, and how its principles might apply in the context of Newton. At the same time, a Mixed Use Task Force, created by Newton Mayor Setti Warren, worked to clarify the vision of the 2007 Newton Comprehensive Plan as it relates to large commercial/residential developments. These conversations should continue.

Also this year, the mayor founded a Transportation Advisory Committee , including Newton Villages co-founder Matt Cuddy, to help shape our transportation system, “enhance the quality of life in Newton’s neighborhoods and village centers,” involve a broad base of citizens in the conversation, and develop a long-term framework for policy and implementation. Good stuff.

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Recent stories, letters, and op-eds in the Newton Tab use the term “smart growth” when referring to ideas for redevelopment of city-owned land in Newton Center and Newtonville.

But these dispatches use “smart growth” as if everyone knows what that means. Most of us don’t, and I’m still learning myself.

Smart growth is an urban planning theory that suggests compact development is, among other things, more financially and environmentally sustainable than suburban sprawl. The term is being applied to both new development and redevelopment, such as this project in Marblehead.

But how does smart growth apply to a city like Newton? [Read more →]

The city plans to install 86 new bicycle racks in Newton parks and village centers next year — at almost no cost to Newton — providing 262 new spaces for bicycle parking.

The $20,000 cost of the racks will be reimbursed through the Regional Bike Parking Program administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). The program’s funding comes from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Bikes line a handrail at the Highland T Station.

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Join Historic Newton volunteers for walking tours of two of the city’s historic villages, both of which sprang to life around the mill industry on the Charles River.

Lower Falls circa 1905, from the collection of Historic Newton. Click for more historic images.

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CNN Money’s new “list of America’s best small cities” places Newton in the number three spot.

Downsides: Traffic and the cost of housing.

Upsides: Mass transit and village centers, “Less than 45 minutes from downtown Boston via train, subway, or express bus, Newton is divided into 13 “villages” loaded with classic New England charm. Most have pedestrian-friendly shopping districts, parks, and playgrounds.”