BOSTON DESIGN VISION

The City of Boston Planning Department's Urban Design Division engaged with hundreds of Bostonians about what they love most about their neighborhoods to better understand what "good design" means to the people who call Boston home. 

The Design Vision is a statement of the principles we commit to uphold as design professionals working on behalf of every Bostonian to elevate the quality of design in our city. These principles guide design decision-making at the City of Boston. 

If you have any questions or want to share your feedback with us, reach out to us at designvision@boston.gov or visit our website,  bostonplans.org/design-vision 

The places and spaces we design are a reflection of our values. 

The design principles are a set of values that guide good design outcomes for the built environment of Boston's neighborhoods. 

They aim to anchor built environment elements that support social infrastructure and focus on the ways spaces look, feel, and support people's agency and choice to move through spaces. 

They are meant to help us build what we value, center people, and uplift diverse lived experiences in Boston. 

They ensure what we build supports the health of our communities, heals our environment, makes careful use of our resources, and prepares Boston for future climate conditions. 

The Design Vision affirms the diverse character of buildings and outdoor spaces in Boston. 

Through character analysis of Boston's neighborhoods, engaging with community residents, city staff and leadership, and professional developers and designers in a design dialogue, we identified place-specific opportunities in which the Design Vision principles can contribute to good design outcomes through spaces between buildings, housing, and neighborhood main streets. 

As precursors, these ideas will inform future design guidelines for housing, retail signage, and complete streets, which are currently underway. For now, they serve as inspiration for how we can reimagine our neighborhoods.

The Design Vision's five year roadmap consists of policy, process, and project recommendations aimed at advancing the principles and ideas identified in the plan.

The intent of the next steps is to bring people into conversation, communicate and operationalize design value, and collect and share information. Implementation will be grounded by the participation of community members, developers and designers, and city staff and leadership.

We see the recommendations to be of the most value to the following groups:

Community Members • Peoples Planning & Design Academy • Urban Design Glossary • Neighborhood Character Analysis

Developers and Designers • Design Principles • Design Guidelines • Neighborhood Character Analysis

City Staff and Leadership • Design Review Process Reform • Neighborhood Character Analysis • Database of Community and Cultural Assets • Case Study Research