I'm writing a proposal for a writing fellowship. On this blog, I had started a "business plan," but I ran out of steam when I realized I've spent the last dozen years or so in startup companies tying to second guess management on how to make the business work. It's boring. It's a necessary means to an end--to create the thing that brings in the money so we can have fun creating something new. But I would be managing away the things I want to do most: reading, writing, learning and experiencing life.

So here's another angle...a big topic I'd like to write about:

These are exciting times to live in the Boston area as massive redevelopment efforts are underway to reshape the city and suburbs. I am fortunate to live at the location of one such project and work in the midst of another.

Follow up:

Westwood Station

Westwood is a town of almost 15,000 located on route 128 about 13 miles southwest of downtown Boston. Developers have just broken ground on Westwood Station, a 135-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented Smart Growth community—and an attempt to, in one massively-planned effort create a new mini-city. Its advocates describe a new urbanist utopia. But the fault lines of change are many:

• The project is seen as a long term solution to local financing needs—a cure for the cycle of suburban property tax overrides necessary to keep schools funded. But the current economic downtown may jeopardize everything.
• A significant number of residents oppose the scale of the project and feel betrayed by the town. Lawsuits to force traffic mitigation are followed by large public meetings of angry citizens. The project is supported by most, but some fear it will destroy the community as it pits one side of town against the other.
• Another development, Legacy Place, only a mile away in Dedham, will complement or compete with this project.
• Within the span of only a few years almost 2 million square feet of new mixed-use development will be completed—on top of two existing towns: Dedham and Westwood—towns that historically were one town. Within a decade, this region is likely to be transformed.

We may be witnessing the birth of a second generation "Edge City." Can the mistakes of the past be avoided? Will this be a massive suburban sprawl nightmare or a model for the future of urban planning? Will the project integrate with the town or be a separate, tolerated entity?

Fort Point Channel

Meanwhile, just across a narrow channel of water that serves principally as the cooling water discharge basin for the Gillette "World Shaving Headquarters," the Fort Point neighborhood of South Boston is being completely rebuilt. My startup company shares space in a building occupied mostly by artists and architects and surrounded by constant construction. Old warehouses are converted into upscale condos that will provide urban professionals the opportunity to live a 5-minute walk from the Financial District. The residential development is part of a larger 2.9 million square foot Fan Pier redevelopment that is anchored by the new Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and the Federal Courthouse.

• Currently the area is home to artists in live-work studios who will not be able to afford the luxury developments that are underway. But a big part of what will make the neighborhood "cool" will be the retention of these people. Will the project preserve the character of the neighborhood or gentrify it?
• The neighborhood has a blog and website; similar to the idea behind the blog I started for Westwood. Will these online tools help build/preserve community under a period of rapid change?
• What impact will the current increased economic uncertainty have on this project?

In considering my proposal, I did not believe a magazine would be interested in my simply narrating the story of my town’s development. The story needs to have more universal appeal to get readers to care about what is going on in Boston. So I've laid out some issues here and expect to explore these in greater detail to see what strikes a chord with readers. Some potential lines of inquiry would be:

• The role of new media – Both neighborhood blogs strive to be objective—they are not activist in the sense of a "stop the development now!" site. Will they play a constructive role in shaping the future?
• The target demographic – the residential component of both sites seeks to attract similar young professionals. But Westwood and Fort Point are night and day—most urbanites in Boston have not even heard of Westwood. Will these developments be magnets for "creative class" workers?
• Is comprehensive planning going to work or is a more adaptive process necessary? In the case of Westwood, how can uncertainty be navigated by town and developer with transparency…or is that simply impossible? In Boston, a similar maze of regulation—under a shifting economic reality—makes transparency in working with the community difficult. Are they successful? Does it matter?
• In the aggregate, these places are following sustainability principles. But are consumption-oriented shopping towns inherently unsustainable? What about sustainability in terms of the integrity of the community these new creations supplant?

Well, we shall see if this proposal gets support. If not, I can always write about it here for free...