a presentation regarding The Future of Open Space

1 The Future of Open Space Open Space Roundtable December 12, 2022

What do we mean by “public space”? • Public space is any outdoor space that is open to the public. • Examples of public spaces are: o Parks o Plazas o Sidewalks o Streets • Include both publicly and privately-owned spaces 2

109 spaces covering 490 acres 11.9% of land area Parks Parks 3

1,815 acres 44.4% of land area Parks + Streets & Sidewalks Parks Plazas, Streets, and Sidewalks 4

5 Open space is a key part of the City’s infrastructure for maintaining and increasing quality of life.

CDD’s Open Space Planning & Design 6 Plan, design, and program public spaces to allow public life to flourish Core Work Areas • Open Space Planning • Park and Public Space Design • Public Space Programming • Urban Design Guidelines • Design Review of Major Development Projects

Agenda 1. Open Space Planning 2. Public Space Lab 3. Discussion 7

• How can our parks and open space system reflect our community priorities and values? • How should our open space system evolve over time? • How do we use the public space that we have well? Purpose 9

Cambridge’s open spaces 11.9% of Cambridge’s land area is public open space 321 acres City-owned parks and open space 169 acres POPS and non-City public open space 10

Somerville ~6% of land area Cambridge 11.9% of land area Boston ~15% of land area ~2 acres per 1000 residents (2019) 4.1 acres per 1000 residents (2020) ~7.6 acres per 1000 residents (2015) How does Cambridge compare? 11

Over 99% of Cambridge residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park in Cambridge 12 Access to open space

Challenges • Developed urban context • Population growth increases demand for open space • Matching park facilities to needs and interests of community • Competitive real estate market • Multiple City priorities, e.g. community facilities, affordable housing, etc. 13

14 Parks and open spaces are some of the City’s tools to address these challenges Challenges • Inequities in open space access • Climate change • Social disconnection – need for spaces to gather and form community bonds

Opportunities • Create new open space working with private development or through other means • Improve connections to existing open spaces • Improve/redesign existing spaces • Activating and programming public spaces 15

Online Surveys • Tell Us How You Use Parks! online survey • Community Values and Priorities online survey • Park Use and Access online survey • Vision and Goals Feedback online questionnaire Community Meetings • Kickoff Community Meeting • Core Values and Priorities Community Discussion • Visioning Workshop • Setting Our Goals Community Engagement 16

Community Engagement Meeting People Where They Are • Focus groups with youth at Gately and Russell Youth Centers, ESOL class at CLC • In-Park Pop-Ups at Joan Lorentz Park, Danehy Park, Toomey Park, and Hoyt Field, Dana Park, Greene- Rose Heritage Park • Presenting to Neighborhood Groups, Advisory Boards and Committees, and Other Groups Flexible Space for Discussion • Virtual Office Hours 17

18 Our Open Space Vision Cambridge’s parks and open spaces are essential and interconnected spaces that welcome all members of our diverse community. Our parks and open spaces: • welcome people to engage in a wide variety of active or passive activities. In our parks and open spaces people can come to be together or spend time alone. • are inclusive and accessible places for gathering, relaxing, being active, and playing in well-maintained facilities, landscapes, and nature. • foster culture and the arts, providing spaces for spectacle and performance to express and inspire creativity. • support our quality of life and provide places and moments where memories are made.

Open Space Planning Goals 19

ACCESS COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEALTH RESILIENCE Understanding Citywide Open Space Needs

21 Citywide Scale We look at: • Access and Distribution • Climate Resilience • Public Health • Community This helps us: • Identify priority areas for improving open space access and expansion • Target early action/non-capital interventions (e.g., programming, planting prioritization) Site-Level and Surroundings We look at: • Condition and Past Improvements (age and condition of park; surfacing and equipment; maintenance challenges; site design) • Climate Resilience • Community • Park Uses (gaps in access) This helps us: • Identify capital planning priorities • Guide future park renovation processes Acres of Accessible Open Space per Person

Acres of Accessible Open Space per Person Park Distribution and Access • Proximity to different types of parks • Acres of accessible open space • Acres of accessible open space per person (i.e., factoring in population density) • Acres of accessible open space per worker 22

Resilience • Tree canopy coverage • Urban heat island • Flooding: Current FMEA 100-Year Flood and 2070 Projected 100-Year Flood 2070 Projected 100-Year Flood (Flood Extend Coverage) 23

Lack of Physical Activity Over Previous Month (Estimated Prevalence) Public Health Estimated prevalence of: • Asthma • Diabetes • High Blood Pressure • Obesity • Lack of Physical Activity (Self-Reported) 24

Community • Family populations • Seniors • Disability status • Income (proportion of population at 200% of poverty level or below) • Race and ethnicity • Population without vehicle access Person with Any Disability (Percentage of Population) 25

Tree Canopy Projected Flooding We use these data to identify and understand geographic areas of open space need Heat Island Individual cells have a value indicating open space need according to each metric These are then “layered” to form an index for each category Resilience Resilience Index Map What are areas of open space need? 26

What are areas of open space need? Community Index Access and Distribution Index Resilience Index Public Health Index 27

Strategies to meet our open space needs 28

Work with private development to create open space Plans for new Triangle Park in East Cambridge Toomey Park in East Cambridge, built on land and with funding from private developers 29

Former railroad right-of-way acquired by the City for the future Danehy-New St. Multi-Use Path Greene-Rose Heritage Park was built on land purchased by the City 30 Use existing City land and monitor for acquisition opportunities

1,815 acres 44.4% of land area Parks + Streets & Sidewalks Parks Plazas, Streets, and Sidewalks 31

(Re)use right-of-way for open space—and people Pocket park on Huron Avenue Lafayette Square Proposed design of Carl Barron Plaza 32

Improve the journey to (and through) parks Expand access to Bluebikes in or near our parks Continue to improve multi-use paths as both destinations and throughways 33

(DRAFT) Open Space Recent Projects and Capital Planning Leverage park improvement projects to advance climate resilience and equity goals Smart equipment to improve maintenance 34 Build and maintain high quality parks

Planting native species and pollinators at Watson St will help create a resilient ecosystem Continued stewardship of natural areas like Fresh Pond 35 Protect and enhance natural areas (big and small)

Stormwater retention “Grey’ infrastructure Permanent or pop-up water play can help us stay cool in the summer Trees retain stormwater, provide shade, and clean the air 36 Climate: Reduce our footprint, mitigate the impacts

Make our parks welcoming to all Collaborate with youth centers to engage with pre-teens and teens Design inclusive spaces 37

New and different ways to spread information about our parks Partnering with programs like RECESS! helps build community Volunteer planting days for Miyawaki Forests at Danehy and Greene-Rose Heritage Parks 38 Make it easier to engage with parks

Activating Public Spaces Public patio in Inman Square Pop-up play activities in Dana Park

Public piano in Central Square Play Street in The Port Streets as Places

Activating the Squares Open-air dance lesson on Norfolk Street Play Street activities on Norfolk Street (Central Square)

Urban Prototyping Streets as flexible social and cultural spaces (Design Trust for Public Space) Starlight Square

CloudHouse CloudHouse, a temporary shade structure in Greene-Rose Heritage Park CloudHouse (from above)

Cambridge Plays A Trike Called Funk setting up a pop-up dance floor, with public seating in Porter Square

Interactive Installations Magnetic poetry on Palmer Street (Harvard Square) Public piano in Central Square

Play Streets Play Street in Cambridgeport

Space for Teens Play Street in Cambridgeport RECESS! program at Hoyt Field

Public Patios Public patio in Inman Square

Partnerships Little free craft supply library Shelley Barandes, owner of Albertine Press Game and puzzle exchange cabinet

“I would love to see more like them all over Cambridge.” “The city needs more spaces like this.” “Beyond rad.” “Love the piano.” “Love, love, love!!” “It’s an opportunity to have positive interactions with strangers!” “These have made the square more fun to spend time in.” “We grabbed Punjabi Dhaba and ate on the patio.” “THESE ARE GREAT!!” “It makes such a happy street.” “Really inviting and convenient!” “FINALLY a space for sitting with a table!” 98% expressed support

• Which goals or strategies resonate most for you? • What kinds of spaces should we be using more actively or imaginatively? • How could Council, staff, and community partners collaborate to advance this work? Questions