The Southwest Corridor Park is a historic park in Boston and is one of the nation’s first contemporary examples of the success of the anti-highway movement. The land on which the park resides was initially slotted for an interstate highway. After decades of advocacy, people power and resistance, the highway plans were abandoned in favor of park space and a new transit line. It is a well loved and highly trafficked park of almost 4 miles. 

The Southwest Corridor Park Action Plan, led by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (MA) and KZLA, aimed to reveal what changes and new offerings people would like to see in the future. This includes crafting new strategies for moving people along the path, whether on foot or wheels. 

As part of LivableStreets Alliance, we helped to lead community engagement for the Southwest Corridor Park Action Plan. LivableStreets Alliance met with youth at local community events and workshops. As the park spans 3 distinct neighborhoods, the team personalized outreach for each community. This included a stress on translation and interpretation, deploying our group of local Street Ambassadors, as well as connecting with neighborhood leaders, and hosting Open Houses.

Check out the final StoryMap here.