As the largest housing provider in Boston, and the only one with a civic mission, Boston Housing Authority builds and supports healthy, sustainable communities that bring stability, opportunity, and peace of mind to thousands of low- and moderate-income families across Boston. We are committed to the idea that public support for affordable housing is an essential investment in Boston’s quality of life.
The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) is a national non-profit affordable housing organization whose mission is to build and sustain strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential. We realize our mission by developing, financing, and operating high-quality housing and implementing neighborhood selfhelp initiatives to drive economic opportunity for our residents.
MVRDV is a world-renowned design firm whose mission is to enable cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future. Their highly collaborative, research-based design methodology involves clients, stakeholders, and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects that have been recognized across the world.
FANEUIL GARDENS
PLAY. LIVE. LEARN. EXPLORE.
This booklet reveals the creative process behind the proposed redesign of Faneuil Gardens, a public housing community home to a diverse community of people and located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. Since spring 2022, our team of developers, designers, engineers, and planners have collaborated and co-designed with Faneuil Gardens residents and neighbors in order to produce a new vision for the site: a vision that is more inclusive, healthier, and centered around community empowerment.
The following pages will spell out the redevelopment journey, moving from preliminary research and community engagement and arriving at the proposed masterplan of a reimagined Faneuil Gardens. By building upon the qualities of what the site already offers and the warmth of current residents, and by tapping into the creativity of a carefully curated redevelopment team, we aim to transform Faneuil Gardens into a pulsing heart for the entire Brighton community.
ABOUT FANEUIL GARDENS
Faneuil Gardens is a Boston Housing Authority public housing community, located between North Beacon Street and Faneuil Street in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. Built in the 1940s, Faneuil Gardens has been home to generations of low-income Bostonians—families who have raised their children and contributed to the vitality of the neighborhood for over eighty years.
The 7.5-acre site has 258 apartments in ten nearly identical brick walk-up buildings that, frankly, look like public housing. The buildings ignore the surrounding urban fabric, and they create repetitive outdoor spaces with limited views. And after 70 years, the apartments themselves are outdated and lack modern amenities.
For the past eighteen months, residents of Faneuil Gardens have been working with a design team led by The Community Builders to envision a transformative redevelopment of the site that will preserve and enhance the community, while expanding its affordable housing for current and future generations.
The Location
Faneuil Gardens is located at the intersection of a rapidly changing, transit-oriented mixed-use area to the northeast—namely Boston Landing, just
0.5 miles away—and a quiet, low-density residential neighborhood to the southwest. Immediately to the south is McKinney Park, one of the largest green spaces in Brighton. Close to neighborhood assets and resources, Faneuil Gardens offers a great location for families and residents of all ages.
The Residents
Over 600 residents call Faneuil Gardens home. As a public housing community, Faneuil Gardens provides deeply affordable homes to low-income families. As with all BHA communities, Faneuil Gardens residents are diverse in terms of race, culture, and age: Faneuil Gardens households are mostly families, with a significant number of children living on-site, and many seniors. Designing a site that prioritizes caregivers, children, and seniors, and that promotes social connection, is critically important.
258 HOUSEHOLDS | 625 RESIDENTS
CO-DESIGNING: A DESIGN PROCESS
2. DESIGN PRINCIPLES
1. LEARN
To begin planning, the design team first studied the existing buildings, site, and neighborhood. Equally importantly, we also learned from residents — through community-wide events, interviews, focus groups, workshops and surveys — to better understand their priorities and visions for their community.
Based on what we learned, our team of designers worked collaboratively with residents to establish several design principles that have guided our planning. We seek to create a redevelopment that is:
+ Connected to assets
+ Engaging and attractive
+ Inclusive of diverse people
+ Resilient and future-ready
125+ HOUSEHOLDS WERE ACTIVELY ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS, WITH MANY ATTENDING MULTIPLE EVENTS
FOCUSED ON COMMUNITY
4. EVALUATE + OPTIMIZE
3. PROTOTYPE
Using these design principles as a framework, our team created several different prototypes for the site. Through workshops with residents, we identified the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
The team refined our initial designs to maximize, for example, the quality of natural light in outdoor and indoor spaces, the amount of open space, preservation of mature trees and neighborhood connectivity.
THE PROPOSED DESIGN
The new, reimagined Faneuil Gardens will take full advantage of its location by linking the site to its surrounding neighborhood. Parking will be pushed to the eastern and western property lines, leaving the heart of the site open for an abundant mix of green spaces. Running diagonally from Faneuil Street to North Beacon Street, a pedestrian boulevard will link the site to McKinney Park and will provide local residents—both Faneuil Gardens residents and their Brighton neighbors—with spaces to play, learn, and gather. The new buildings will nestle around four semi-private court-
BIRDS-EYE VIEW
all proposed plans and images are subject to change
A PULSING HEART FOR BRIGHTON
yards open to all residents, each programmed appropriately for people of different ages and abilities.
Five modern buildings will replace the mid-century public housing walkups, providing high-quality housing that meets today’s living standards.
New affordable apartments—above and beyond the 258 replacement units—will expand the supply of affordable housing in Brighton, promoting neighborhood stability and creating a mixed-income community.
5 BUILDINGS | +/- 450 UNITS AN ACTIVE PEDESTRIAN BOULEVARD
ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS
On the ground floors, resident amenity spaces and potential commercial storefronts will generate activity and promote social connection. At the heart of the site, in dialogue with both the pedestrian boulevard and McKinney Park, the new community center will support a variety of programming in a beautiful, modern space.
The transformed Faneuil Gardens will be an asset for the entire Brighton neighborhood.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES APPLIED
by providing beautiful open green spaces that offer diverse program-
Inclusive by prioritizing all residents and their different needs in indoor and outdoor spaces. The site is mostly car-free so it’s safe for kids to play.
Resilient by designing future-ready buildings, and a site that maximizes open space, natural light, and takes into consideration water conservation.
