How Boston Built a Neighborhood from Scratch: Seaport District

[@urbaninternational]

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[@polymorphseviltwin]

This may be the first time I've ever appreciated a sponsor (that I wasn't already using)

[@urbaninternational]

:) @@polymorphseviltwin

[@AndrewBeard91]

The best way I've heard seaport described is "it's like a consulting firm became a neighborhood"

[@urbaninternational]

That’s pretty funny

[@laurenredding1419]

TOO TRUE

[@PenskePC17]

You're the same type of person that cries about Lifestyle Centers. No vision.

[@bradkhong6412]

Bostonian here and we don’t refer it as a neighborhood. It’s for the mega rich people really. For us average Bostonian, it is a nice area for a fine dining with beautiful view

[@Joelswinger34]

It's still a neighborhood,no matter who lives in it. And there are lots of affordable things to do and places to go if you are able to get around with that huge chip on your shoulder.

[@markanthony1004]

I truly love your city. Walkable, New Englanders can be A-Holes but about as much as us Southerners and Midwesterners. You guys are overall really chill. I can't say the same for people who aren't from there who move there. All in all Boston is one of the only major East Coast cities I'd move to if we could afford it lol. I think San Antonio works for now just wicked hawt

[@the0ne809]

Just like the hudson yard here in NYC. most of us do not see it as part of NYC.

[@BG-vm6wi]

It’s a neighborhood that massport and Boston fights over jurisdiction

[@jamie.777]

Yep

[@anony-ic3pz]

I'm a Bostonian. I wouldn't call this a neighborhood. It's an area where the wealthy, CEO's, and corporations are located and conglomerate. It's an enclave. Average Bostonians don't go to the seaport.

[@urbaninternational]

Fair point, it's not as organic of an area like other parts of the city

[@stickynorth]

@@urbaninternational Edmonton's Ice District and NYC's Hudson Yards are almost identical in size and scope... Also 1% sterile suburbs grafted onto down dead downtowns...

[@casmatt99]

There's plenty of young professionals who make decent money but are by no means rich who live there. That's almost exclusively the kind of people you'll see out and about there.

[@anony-ic3pz]

@@casmatt99 Decent money/young professional is considered wealthy to the average local Bostonian.

[@casmatt99]

@@anony-ic3pz someone who makes high 5 figures isn't rich no matter what part of the country you're talking about

[@JohnCarter-yj5pp]

This "neighborhood" is a microcosm of modern urban planning failures. Over-reliance on offices rather than a mix of industry, "high-end luxury" development (only for now, these buildings are built cheap yet cost steep) rather than mixed income. There is a fixation on wealth extraction rather than creating a real place that feels like a living, breathing organism.

[@urbaninternational]

That sounds about right. What do you think they need to add to Seaport to fix the situation? More diverse-use buildings? affordable housing?

[@PremDaiii]

Exactly this.

[@evanwilliams2411]

Absolutely!

[@romariohales2130]

We www

[@anthonys3906]

That’s the point… it’s not meant to be home-y. It’s meant to drawn in people for entertainment. The super wealthy have flash that draws people in so they get to live there at a crazy price. Boroughs exist for a reason. That’s like getting upset your leg doesn’t look or feel like your arm 😂

[@AP12820]

I've bee living in Boston since 2014 when Seaport was still in development.... Watching the amount of buildings and streets getting built within the span of 7 years was quite the sight.

[@urbaninternational]

I can definitely imagine. The sight, and the construction noise depending on how close you live to it... haha

[@AP12820]

@@urbaninternational yeah and the way they were building all those contructions so quickly was amazing

[@Spencer-vq7se]

As someone who grew up in Boston and eventually the greater Boston area, the seaport transformation for me and a lot of people is the embodiment/main symbol of the gentrification thats happened in Boston. Boston used to be somewhere that a normal family could live (like my family). Things have changed, even if you get a good break on rent, the ridiculous amount of other expenses the city milks you for makes it impossible for people on normal wages to live comfortably.

[@alexskatit4188]

How is the seaport gentrification???? It is a newly built area.

[@kaicandoit]

What other people don't get is that seaport is the literal embodiment of everything wrong with Boston. Yeah its happening across the country but experiencing seaport in particular just feels like a disconnected bubble from the rest of the city. Its almost surreal at times and I even ask if im in the same city.... for all the wrong reasons. Its disappointing knowing seaport could've become an amazing opportunity for Boston to truly combat issues like affordable housing and climate change, but they decided to sell their soul instead.

[@alexskatit4188]

@@kaicandoit It is supposed to look different from the old city and that is a good thing. A luxury area is not the place to address affordable housing. It is affordable for those who live there. As for climate change, the developers and the city need to erect coastal barriers.

[@Spencer-vq7se]

​@@kaicandoit What really makes it a tragedy is the fact that a lot of the construction companies who raked in cash (in shady ways) during the big dig are also responsible for no-soul-seaport.

[@samuelallen8945]

As someone from Boston - couldn't agree more. My parents worked in the seaport and seeing what it has become is disgusting. Luckily, this will all be underwater soon.

[@nsick]

I've lived in Boston for 15 years and I've spent a good deal of time in this area. It's shocking to me that those who are in a position to make these decisions managed to create such an exclusive, soulless place. We desperately need affordable housing in this city, and this solves nothing. In fact, it exacerbates existing problems. The real estate they're selling caters to the top .1% and people who work down at the Seaport are lucky if they're within a 90 minute commute. That land that was built up was so close to downtown could have been anything, and that's what we got. Zero accessibility and a place for rich people to park their money. What a waste of an opportunity. This video is well researched and I agree with some things, but this place is gross and a giant symbol of how unequal our society has become. Also, let's get real about the big dig. Yes they buried a highway, but it's done nothing to fix traffic in the city. It's still a freeway running through downtown with horrendous 4-hour rush hours twice a day. They thought adding another lane each way would somehow "solve" the traffic problems, but I guess they weren't familiar with induced demand. Now you sit in traffic underground instead of above. It cost 30B and a large portion of that debt was passed on to the MBTA, which is why our public transit is routinely broke and a national joke.

[@kenb3552]

Couldn't disagree more. Sure, they built it for the rich. I'd rather have that than a bunch of projects or tenements. And the rich had to leave some other buildings to relocate to the Seaport, right? So, who moves into their old spaces? As for the Big Dig. The actual cost at the end of construction was more like 8 Billion. The total payback with interest is, of course, more, but its not 30 Billion. Remember too - the majority of the funding came from the federal government, not the state. That was an incredible deal for the people of Massachusetts (orchestrated by then Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill). The Big Dig was never meant to get rid of traffic. It was meant to replace crumbling infrastructure that was built to handle the traffic of the 1950's. Yes, there is still rush hour traffic. Would it be better or worse if they hadn't done the Dig? Should they have just rebuilt the big ugly highway that cut the city in two? What woudl that have done? Also they removed all that pollution and noise from pedestrian level and opened up some great recreational and green space above. And NON-rush hour traffic has been greatly improved. Getting to and from the airport is a fraction of what it used to be. I agree the T has become a joke - but that was due more to years of poor management, deferred maintenance and irresponsible spending than is is to the Big Dig. And the T can and will be fixed.

[@sachemofboston3649]

@@kenb3552 The fact that affordable housing is labelled as "projects" shows how strongly Americans are programmed to think poorly of it.

[@kenb3552]

@@sachemofboston3649 What would "affordable" housing in Boston look like? What would it cost? Because whenever I see something in this area called affordable - it usually is not. It's still bonkers expensive. So, if you are really talking about housing that a person making $50 - $75 K could afford located on the water in Boston, - yes, you are basically talking about something that would resemble "projects". Think back to Columbia Point.

[@tb5124]

@@kenb3552 in regards to your comment about the wealthy leaving their old buildings, I’m willing to bet many aren’t from Boston. And their old buildings was still too “luxurious” for the average resident. Idk if it’s still true but I’ve heard many of those buildings are empty. It is a beautiful area but it does seem kind of dead for the most part. Boston is a great city but unfortunately I had to leave because finding a place I could afford was next to impossible. Two places in a row I got kicked out because it got sold or they wanted to do renovations- i.e. probably just paint it and add laminate flooring then jack up the price.

[@kenb3552]

@@tb5124 Boston definitely has a major housing problem. But the solution is not building stacks of affordable housing in a tract like the Seaport District. No developer is going to use such valuable property to put in units to get a small payback instead of a large one. Those large empty office buildings maybe could be converted - not sure. When the wealthy moved out of Beacon Hill to head to the suburbs, Beacon Hill became very affordable. It even got down-right shabby with very low income people living in apartments carved from the mansions and brownstones right on Mount Vernon street. Then cities became popular again, the wealthy came back and Beacon Hill became a rich once again.

[@LJB103]

This was all a $5/day parking lot when I returned to MA in the mid-80's, and worked just over the old Northern Ave bridge on Atlantic Avenue. When I moved out of Boston in 1979, I was complaining about paying $265/month for rent!! You will notice that there was one thing that could not be done in the Seaport District: build tall. There are no skyscrapers here due to the flight paths for Logan Airport. I do miss the great old restaurants: Jimmy's, No Name; and Anthony's Pier 4. To me there's no charm here as everything is of just one style of architecture; you do not get that built up over time look as the rest of Boston has. Enjoyable and informative video.

[@laurenredding1419]

$265 a month is less than the monthly fee I pay for my parking spot at my apartment in Boston these days! It's crazy how expensive this city has become, and big ol seaport is definitely not helping things 😭

[@LJB103]

@@laurenredding1419 Remember that Boston had a divorce case a while ago where the wife said the husband could keep the house, but she demanded the parking space (Brimmer St. Garage??) in the settlement.

[@zha1n152]

Seaport doesn’t have like the “Boston” vibe Obviously not the old Boston vibe at least when people think of Boston. But in all cities it’s good to have a newer place like that

[@stickynorth]

Shame that it's only for the 1%

[@urbaninternational]

True

[@cyan_2169]

Bostonians actually hate the seaport. It has zero character, is unaffordable to live in, and is filled with generic corporate chain restaurants and retail spaces. The seaport has no identity of its own, and as a result a lot of younger Bostonians still choose to hang out in the much more diverse and interesting neighborhoods of Cambridge and the surrounding towns

[@urbaninternational]

That's a fair point, do you think Boston will try to make the seaport more appealing going forward?

[@cyan_2169]

@@urbaninternational My peers and I (I've talked to a lot of people in their 20's-30's about this) believe that the people responsible for the development of the Seaport have already chosen to make it inhospitable and inaccessible to the common folk who wish to use public transit and spend a reasonable amount of money on a night out. Especially the lgbt community has been lamenting the loss of third places in the city where they feel welcome. I do not know if the Seaport will fix its image, but adding a subway line might be a good start.

[@doctorstrangelove9487]

Architecturally speaking it is an ugly neighborhood with no connections to the rest of the city with large number of expensive high rises and some corporations here and there.

[@urbaninternational]

That's definitely one way of looking at it

[@aodhganmerrimac]

The South Boston Waterfront is not a neighborhood, it's developer's paradise. There is not a police station, fire station, public library, school or a single public park. It is gentrification run amuck. It was sold to the city as a neighborhood with needed housing, that didn't happen, many of the luxury condos are corporate owned. Transit is beyond pitiful, it has a terrible connection with the downtown-one bridge. Also the Seaport Hotel development predated the Westin and the Seaport Hotel, the Institute of Contemporary Art along with the Court House were the first major new buildings on the Waterfront. The SBWF is really not Boston, it's more "Any City" U.S.A. It was a lost opportunity. I would also add that much of the area will be underwater in less than a century, none of the land was built-up BTW I'm curious where you got the info that Big Dig spoil was used to fill in parts of the SBWF? I know they did use some to cap off Spectacle Island burying the old dump so the island could be used by the public. The first part of the SBWF filled in was the northern edge of the Fan Pier IIRC-that was accomplished with rubble from the Great Fire of 1872.

[@urbaninternational]

That's one way of putting it

[@JtheMac50]

The used tons of dirt for the big dig to build Granite Links in Quincy. Truckloads by the day for months to fill in the quarries and shape the course

[@aodhganmerrimac]

@@JtheMac50 Yup!

[@JonGZBOS]

I've gone to seaport a few times and what you find is snobby rich (mostly white) people who aren't from Boston. It's a "scene" but not my kind of scene. It definitely needs more diversity.

[@urbaninternational]

That's a valid point that most people living there aren't originally from Boston. Lots of transplants and people moving to the area for job offers

[@JonGZBOS]

@@urbaninternational absolutely the city is losing its old identity. Also great video I really enjoyed it

[@urbaninternational]

@@JonGZBOS Thank you for watching and for your feedback!!

[@anony-ic3pz]

YES!! NO DIVERSITY!! I should have said that in my earlier comment about it not being a neighborhood!

[@icalrox]

The Seaport is NOT a neighborhood. It is just an upscale commercial area. That’s all.

[@anony-ic3pz]

Agree!

[@bobbyswanson3498]

There’s places like these popping up all over the country: hudson yards, tampa river front, atlanta centennial yards, raleigh north hills. they’re all built to be walkable and modern looking, but somehow they never organically connect to the city they’re in. after they’re built, they’re just a place for the rich to go to brunch and take pictures

[@RedroomStudios]

yep, soulless and lifeless just like much of modern humanity.

[@ratedpz9461]

yep, only tech-bros allowed in this soulless, gray, fake city. Never organic as you said.

[@paxundpeace9970]

Thed often lack public transport connections and affordability.

[@PenskePC17]

It's the primordial soup, give it time, or be like the people that whine about Lifestyle centers when the alternative was a strip mall.

[@robertklose2140]

If Boston can do this, why can't it connect North and South stations?

[@kenb3552]

Because there isn't an extra $50 Billion laying around to pay for it.

[@robertklose2140]

@@kenb3552 I think the estimates are far below that. It's still a shameful embarrassment that this has been talked about for 100 years and remains a yawning gap in the system.

[@kenb3552]

@@robertklose2140 In 2017 MAssDot put it at $12 billion to $22 billion. Knowing that it will always cost more (like the big Dig) - I think $30 billion is a reasonable guess. We've managed 100 years without it (somehow).

[@patricequinn7733]

because that connection would have public benefits!!!!!

[@cynthiam.donovan2621]

It has been exciting to watch the Seaport develop - but all the buildings are very similar and ugly.

[@urbaninternational]

What are your thoughts on developers moving farther inland towards Southie as the waterfront lots are developed?

[@cynthiam.donovan2621]

@@urbaninternational I have been watching the development of A Street -- and I fear there will be more glass boxes.

[@MrDude826]

I agree. It's as if a bland suburb was built in the middle of a city.

[@charlessherman526]

Sea level rise will make this area uninhabitable soon. A couple of Antarctic ice sheets could go within a few years, and there will be water in the streets most of the time. Already, the area is flooded during storms and many buildings have put their machinery high up above the street. Many have mentioned the poor transit planning (hard to get there without a car, parking is very expensive) and bland, faceless, "non-Boston" aesthetics. Future slums. Monument to corporate greed, human shortsightedness, and political corruption.

[@ratedpz9461]

personally I'd say as long as the good food like at yankee lobster is saved, that place can go underwater tomorrow, it's such a bland place.

[@crAZNimal]

​@@ratedpz9461 no one cares about tomorrow only the present

[@DigitalIslandboy]

I hate it down there. No trees. No big parks. No libraries. No schools. It is just corporate glass and steel. And it floods in parts during storms at high tides because the elevation is too low. It only has a glorified bus in a tunnel running through there so not even great mass transit for a planned area.

[@mistybogchild]

I've lived in Boston over four years now for uni, and have been to Seaport many times for many things, and every time I visit it always strikes me how sterile it feels compared to the rest of the city. I don't want to just repeat what everyone has already said, we all know it's a bit lifeless, exclusive to income, car-infested, etc. but one thing that gets me is how it fits into the fact that Boston is an old city, most of it has superb urban fabric, and because of this it is called one of the most European cities in North America, but when you cross that bridge, it feels like you've walked into North American urban center #4034-b, it's just all commercial, high-income, car-centric, standard North American "urbanism". Also just an n.b. to the big dig comments, Alan Fisher has a Lit vid about it, very scathing in all the right ways.

[@anony-ic3pz]

Yes, the Seaport is an enclave for the wealthy and is not a neighborhood. Locals don't go here.

[@RedroomStudios]

brilliant comment... agree 100%. all these new master planned developments all fail in the same ways. they are over hyped and over priced. give me an old established neighborhood any day.

[@kenb3552]

As a Bostonian - I agree. But maybe in 200 years it will seem charming :)

[@laurenredding1419]

What freaks me out about seaport is that all the dogs you see there are fancy designer breeds. No one in seaport has a scruffy little mutt, and no one is out in their pajamas, and no one rides the T daily. That's not Boston to me! There's nothing there worth seeing!

[@chuckscott4661]

@ Lauren Redding. I’m sure the Seaport women are better looking as well. 😎

[@RandomMan_1]

Neighborhood. No. It's a leisure zone for yuppies.

[@urbaninternational]

And hub for all the big tech companies

[@petertrei]

Soulless corporate offices, hotels, and condos, all in shiny glass buildings. Nothing that feels neighborly. I dislike it intensely.

[@crazy_acid77]

Yes, they added tons of buildings included apartments and condos, and none of it is affordable! No wonder we have a housing crisis here. Nobody can afford to live in Boston or its suburbs anymore, and when they keep building "luxury condos" instead of housing that middle class bay staters can actually afford, it only exacerbates the problem.

[@chris4484]

"Luxury" is just a marketing term for these buildings. Most of them are not actually luxury and are generally helping the housing crisis by increasing the housing stock and thereby providing more homes for people. Building more housing, even if it may be deemed "luxury", is actually a good thing. This Seaport example is likely preventing gentrification in other Boston neighborhoods where these wealthy Seaport residents would instead be living if these apartments were not constructed.

[@4403323]

Obviously some people can afford to live there. They wouldn’t have built these condos if no one can afford to buy or rent them.

[@WinstonSmithGPT]

@@4403323How do people stay this oblivious to the empty housing phenomenon????

[@bost91]

You mean rich neighborhoods

[@urbaninternational]

Well it is a 'rich' neighborhood..

[@vicp1990]

Born and raised in the very urban area of boston known as Roxbury. Seaport is only good to party once a month because of the cost but other than that its only welcoming to the mega rich aka foreigners and trust fund babies.

[@urbaninternational]

Fair enough. Plus it's way colder and windier than other parts of the city 😂

[@anony-ic3pz]

YES!! As I said in my comment, the seaport is not a neighborhood but an area where the financially well-off go.

[@alanamin706]

Seaport is a short bridge away from downtown, not isolated at all. If anything, the big dig filled seaport with rich drivers who spend their days outside of the neighbourhood. No surprise the only reason to visit is for expensive restaurants or the ICA; completely boring and soulless.

[@urbaninternational]

I meant connected by interstate for commuters who don't live walking distance. Driving on the local streets that aren't highway can be very unpredictable with Boston traffic

[@patrickk9440]

As someone who lived in boston you are completely right. I gotta pay 10 dollers for a high noon christ. I'd rather go to orient heights and get hammered their. At least theirs some semblance of a soul their without having my wallet getting purged out to oblivion.

[@GamingDude95]

Fantastic! They buried the highway underground to make the city and places more accessible 😁 They basically did the same thing in Oslo, Norway! I love it! 😁

[@urbaninternational]

How did it affect the commute in Oslo when they buried it?

[@GamingDude95]

@@urbaninternational it affected it great! We still have some crossroads get out of the underground/underwater freeway!

[@urbaninternational]

That's fascinating! Love hearing that

[@sethdunlap9868]

That's wonderful for Oslo, but the sixteen year/ fifteen million dollar nightmare didn't reduce a thing. Traffic in the tunnel is still a nightmare, traffic on the surface streets still sucks. Boston's urban development team runs lke a toddler throwing a tantrum, "i want, i want" without a single plan or inkling of broader scale ramifications. HELL, Boston's Back Bay development was thrown together with zero planning on proper traffic flow and accessibility, and that was done in 1859-1900. It was a neighbourhood built to keep the wealthy Brahmins from moving out do to the influx of Irish. Seaport is yet another attempt at lure any wealthy "preferred class" to reside in the city limits.

[@ratedpz9461]

@@sethdunlap9868 Spot on, the seaport may look cool, but again, it's just developers trying to attract the "preferred class." Good urbanism for the wealthy, stroads for everyone else. Luxury condos are the worst, half of them end up empty, but all in the name of some quick cash for the rich.

[@KP43-08]

There’s a misperception This is not Boston come a little further into south Boston Dorchester Roxbury Mattapan etc that’s BOSTON!

[@felixthecat2786]

A studio apartment costs 3000 a month minimum. If no one can afford to live there, what is the point in even building it?

[@urbaninternational]

Well there's definitely people who live there, both rentals and purchases, but it's not affordable for people making an average income

[@Wickedpissah138]

To be honest… Boston has no other large areas of land that aren’t already developed. Seaport was it. Nearby Chelsea has the Carter Street neighborhood. Also just parking lots. Now it’s all apartments, hotels and even the FBI office. Now that Seaports developed, Boston has virtually no more undeveloped land unless they take old neighborhoods out.

[@Legonatic]

Calling the Seaport cool is a bit of a stretch. Unless you think sterile corporatism and chain retail is cool.

[@urbaninternational]

I think I called hudson yards cool in the video on it and some comments said the same thing 💁

[@patricequinn7733]

It's a "neighborhood" that has enough asphalt to ensure massive flooding in surrounding areas. They missed a chance to have a true neighborhood.The "from scratch" brag misses the point.This was a wasted opportunity to do something truly smart. Many of the offices in this "innovation" district are sitting empty. It looks like Beijing. This is not Boston,This development thumbs its nose at Boston and its people.

[@spencerloweth7135]

Missed out on how it was all owned by the former dodger owner and how he traded all of the parking lots there (20acres) for a money to continue his ownership of the team. Otherwise great video!

[@urbaninternational]

Valid point. There's always a lot I feel I don't uncover enough in research for the videos here

[@everettharris967]

Having worked at the Boston World Trade Center for a long tie I'm bamboozled by what the Seaport is now. Similar "out of the ether" high end neighborhoods are Assembly Row in Somerville and Arsenal Yards in Watertown.

[@erc_io]

Assembly Row compared to Seaport? Come on

[@jh9992]

I used to work at "the rock" too back when it was all industrial.

[@BeantownMrs]

My husband and I almost. bought a condo in Seaport around 2011, but the developer was very honest and told us that the beautiful harbor view was most likely going to disappear with other buildings blocking our view. We decided to buy elsewhere since an obstructed view wasn't worth it to us. I've lived in Boston since 2001 and it's honestly been wild seeing the transformation of the Seaport.

[@urbaninternational]

That's really awesome of the developer to have been very upfront about the view getting blocked!!

[@THEBIGLIE20]

Wacky developer can’t be developing anymore

[@seanbryan1739]

You could have sold it for premium and buy a new one. Lol

[@anony-ic3pz]

@@THEBIGLIE20 for being honest?!

[@Viper4ever05]

was he right about the blocked view?

[@Santiago-oq9sj]

You should do a video about Santa Fe CDMX, it’s a similar story. As well it has been in the rise throughout the last 20 years. Around 30 years ago it almost all a landfill. Now it is one of the most important economic regions of Mexico City. I hope to see something about it.

[@mikeurban]

Great video, but Seaport was one of the neighborhoods that saw a massive decline in sales in Q3 2022. Should be interesting Q4 and Q1 2023, which I’ll cover when the time comes !

[@urbaninternational]

wonderful

[@Rugopoly]

Wow this is amazing! I never knew this about Boston Can you do a similar video on Miami’s Brickell neighborhood? Keep up the content. I can’t wait for more ❤

[@urbaninternational]

Yes absolutely! Was planning on doing a video on Worldcenter- do you have any thoughts on it?

[@sm3675]

The B1M (channel) briefly talks about downtown Miami, but not enough. I agree with you.

[@AsphaltPilot]

"without the big dig, seaport would have been pretty difficult to commute to" - it still is.

[@TheJojo01902]

The neighborhood is mere inches above sea level.

[@TheBostonBrew]

No schools no libraries no civic engagement. The city frankly sold out this area

[@ArgentPendragon]

As a worker in Seaport, I barely ever see anyone who actually lives there. You have to make at least six figures to really afford to start living there with $3000+ rents for even a studio apartment. It feels more like a resort and tourist destination than a neighborhood because most people are just commuting from outside to work and visit

[@CalderwoodPercussion]

Bostonian here. Seaport is not a neighborhood. It’s a huge developer cash-grab that has constant severe flooding because they ignored all the environmental impact reports. Nobody who lives here goes there; it’s just for people who fly in for conferences. There used to be a couple cool restaurants there, but they were all torn down to build this mess.

[@ACEBeantown]

The Seaport Boston Hotel and World Trade Center went back in 1986 and the Seaport Boston Hotel alongside the World Trade Center in 1998. Whereas, the Westin Boston Seaport was built in 2006 after the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) was built in 2004. I know because I used to work in the office building across from the Seaport Boston Hotel. The tallest building in the Seaport in the 90's. All you had to do is reach out to any college kid at any Urban Studies and Planning school for a little knowledge.

[@urbaninternational]

Very interesting

[@monsoon1234567890]

There are no trains that go to Seaport, which means the average people you need to keep a city running can't get there without taking an Uber. This means it's impossible to staff anyone in the Seaport area on minimum wage (~$15/hr Boston area). There's a whole lot you have to give up to have a community that functions without low income employees.

[@gregtownsend7173]

The sliver Line basically serves as a train to seaport bruh I use it every time I go

[@kenb3552]

Developers were salivating over this land for decades. Luckily, Boston officials kept their cool and prevented unsightly over development for quick money. Buildings were kept low - largely to not affect the airport, but also consciously so as not to create a bunch of dark wind-swept tunnels. Height restrictions and open space requirements were developed to keep the area at a livable scale. So it might not look impressive from a distance, especially to those who think having a towering skyline is somehow meaningful (it's not), but for modern rapid development, it's impressive at a human scale.

[@nelsfrye8570]

@@kenb3552 yes even the low skyline looks self-righteous and over-regulated in typical Puritan boston style. Far inferior to high-rise nyc or even Boston’s own downtown or the spine of back bay - even for walking around. That said, any sort of urban area is always preferable to endless development of auto-bound suburbs.

[@sachemofboston3649]

Pretty much everyone in Boston hates this neighborhood. It's poorly planned, overpriced, souless, and built mostly around cars rather than people.

[@SilvaRocha-v3n]

I REMEMBER THE LATE 80s and 90s how the seaport was abandoned and ugly, the new seaport is stunning. thank you for the video

[@toddshort3906]

The hotels came to the Seaport District because of the Boston Convention Center. If that hadn't been built, the hotels would never have come. The old Boston "World Trade Center" isn't big enough to hold large conventions.

[@singlesideman]

It's not a neighborhood. It's incredibly cheaply made yet grossly overpriced developer crap with zero culture and history. It's junk.

[@samuelallen8945]

As I heard from someone close to my family...who was on the Boston Planning & Development Agency...if you had the money to build - you got your building. No rules - just needed that $$$. Hoping the seaport is all under water soon - considering there is no infrastructure in place for sea level rise

[@urbaninternational]

This seems pretty true in the city. Big developers get past BPDA. Why on earth would you wish for this city to be underwater?

[@samuelallen8945]

@@urbaninternational not the city - the seaport. they put no infrastructure in place to account for flooding or sea level rise. it was just a cash grab for developers

[@chris4484]

Building more housing, even if it may be deemed "luxury", is actually a good thing. This Seaport example is likely preventing gentrification in other Boston neighborhoods where these wealthy Seaport residents would instead be living if these apartments were not constructed. While it certainly is not a significant solution to the city's housing crisis, it is still helpful in the long run. Wishing that the neighborhood would be "underwater" is also very much not going to help the housing crisis either.

[@patricequinn7733]

@@chris4484 No it is NOT preventing other areas from being price prohibitive.Those humongous buildings have tons of people seeking housing.They're taking up older homes and buildings as well as newer ones.Displacement is rampant all over greater Boston and these buildings are a major contributor to the problem,along with traffic congestion and global warming risks.

[@toniderdon]

I hate it. The architecture is ugly, modernist, global bullshit. No character. Boston has so many charming neighborhoods, that's what they should have built. Not this crap.

[@RedroomStudios]

I dont get why you hype the all glass buildings as being "modern and beautiful"? some glass buildings set against stone or brick buildings looks good, but when you start getting all glass buildings it looks dead, lifeless and cheap. dont get me wrong its not just Boston... its everywhere now because building this style is cheaper and faster. we shouldnt be cheering it though. these master planned neighbourhoods are often devoid of life at street level as well compared to the older neighbourhoods that developed organically.

[@urbaninternational]

Is glass buildings worse than abandoned industrial space and parking lots that was previously there?

[@RedroomStudios]

@@urbaninternational thats not the point. we shouldnt cheer for ugly soulless development because its better than abandoned buildings and lots. we should demand better development. but unfortunately I think humanity has somehow lost its way in the last few decades when it comes to urban design. old traditional parts of cities are lively and human scale. the vast majority of new developments are lifeless and sterile. and thats because so much of the motive in building them is profit rather than functionality or humanity.

[@rebecca8525]

Great video. I’m a lifelong resident of the Boston area and it’s been exciting to see all the changes in Boston over the past 30 years. Just one tiny correction: the Big Dig took 16 years, not 20 years. It did go on much longer than expected (it was supposed to take only 5 years) but it didn’t take as long as two entire decades.

[@MrDude826]

Bland glass buildings that could be anywhere? "Impressive" [sarcasm]. No one will visit that neighborhood besides residents. Modern architecture holds little long term value as nobody cares about bland glass buildings that most closely resembles hospitals.

[@annenyman678]

It looks very soulless to me compared to other charming parts of Boston like the South End.also, did they forget about climate change?

[@fatmongo]

Residents wouldn't let Kraft build the Patriots stadium there 25 years ago because they didn't want to deal with traffic/parking for 8 home games a year and now they deal with those issues 365 days a year. Whoops.

[@jdkoz98]

Lol it’s funny because the traffic in seaport is actually not bad compared to across the water on Atlantic ave.

[@JesusIsReal925]

The Best Hotel in the Seaport is the Boston Westin Seaport District Hotel there. It's a 5 stars well Maintained hotel

[@KP43-08]

Boston traffic is horrible!!!! that’s a problem that needs to be fixed

[@emmasimon4005]

Seaport is soulless and uncanny, it has rancid vibes and everyone I know hates spending time there

[@Weave.seen.this.b4]

Yeah they built it all up, now all you need is a way to get there. A clear indication of failure is when Rhode Island has a failed bridge yet still has better highways than Mass.

[@marastaylor]

I rented a “ loft” in the early 80’s on Summer St. …5000sq ft for $1000, view of the water and airport…just artists moving into old factories…a little sketchy back then but how fabulous it was! The numbers certainly changed 1000sq ft for $5000😮

[@rebecca8525]

Yes, while the Big Dig certainly improved Boston, it also made it more expensive because the removal of the old Central Artery made the downtown and waterfront area more appealing and accessible.

[@nabri-nfg3262]

Amazing video, i feel like my city doesn't get enough attention. Also F the Shack shack they got over there, 😤 i don't know how they feel it's ok to let people wait outside in the cold for food

[@timothysheehan7435]

I can't remember who said it but (Robert Campbell, Boston Globe maybe?) 'A suburban Dallas office park' rings true. A great chance at creating a world class urban space was squandered to create a millennial Disneyland. It's fine for a few drinks and dinner but i'd much prefer the North End or the South End anytime.

[@rebecca8525]

“Millennial Disneyland” is a great way to describe it. For one thing, I’m sure it has lots of mice.

[@kaicandoit]

For many of us from here, Seaport is the epitome of whats wrong with Boston today. I've worked in this neighborhood before and every time I'm there it feels so tone deaf and disconnected with the rest of the city. unaffordable rents, car centricity, suburban millennials with overpriced coffee shops, lack of character, and a loss of history. Its sad knowing this neighborhood could have become something much more meaningful for regular working folk, as well as combatting climate change.

[@johnpersechini4951]

It’s not intended for us. It’s intended for young people such as young professionals or college students or tourists. Brings a ton of money to the city though so I’m a fan of it.

[@verynormalvic]

The Seaport has a massive accessibility problem, especially for folks who don't drive. There's a major lack of simple stuff near there like Dunkin which is literally impossible to avoid in other parts of the city. I live near the green line and it would take me almost an hour and 2 transfers to get there. Additionally something about the width of the streets makes it INCREDIBLY cold and windy there, so it's super unpleasant to walk anywhere. So if you worked there, you were cold in January and wanted Dunkin (again, basically a given in Boston) you would have to walk in probably below freezing weather to one of the like, three in the entire neighborhood. It just feels lacking in interconnectedness to the rest of the city.

[@anony-ic3pz]

So agree!

[@eriklakeland3857]

Boston needs an orbital rail line to connect major activity centers away from Downtown. Longwood, BU Medical, the Seaport, the Airport, Charlestown, Harvard could all be linked by an orbital subway line in my wet dreams.

[@ratedpz9461]

even the major public transit route to the area is colored gray (wELL tEcHnIcALy sIlvEr) and every time I've been to the seaport it's gray or lifeless. The only reason to go is yankee lobster, a real time capsule

[@ratedpz9461]

@@eriklakeland3857 true transit nerds assemble! that sounds beautiful (imagine if all the stops could have platform screen doors and the trains were fully walk through, ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)

[@kenb3552]

@@eriklakeland3857 What we really need is a personal transporter system a la "Star Trek". Beam me over to Longwood Scottie!

[@kathrynbellerose6216]

This area will be underwater in the next twenty years.

[@chuck1481]

The Seaport is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for The Big Dig. Any one that was shocked at the cost of the Big Dig should feel better now.

[@kenb3552]

I was never shocked by the cost of the Big Dig. 10 years to build - they had to design and build most of the machinery to do the project. New bridges and tunnels. Major engineering innovations and digging miles under a 400 year old city and a harbor without shutting the city or traffic down. Seriously, what did you think it was going to cost??? Have you ever seen the cost of ONE next generation fighter jet?

[@edl1527]

Most of us who live in Boston don't enjoy or go to the Seaport area.

[@tokyogamer5825]

Toronto is doing the same thing with the new waterfront development. They already built a bridge that will extend streetcars to the new development. Renders look similar to the Boston seaport, I'm sure it was heavily inspired.

[@urbaninternational]

That's super interesting, do you think there's more in Toronto that should be covered in a video on it?

[@tokyogamer5825]

@@urbaninternational Toronto has the most development in north america, more cranes erecting skyscrapers than new york city and chicago at the moment. They are also finishing 2 new subway lines by 2023 (eglinton crosstown and finch west) and another line by 2030 (Ontario Line). Toronto would be a great city to cover in a video.

[@urbaninternational]

It's definitely on my video list right now, I just don't know what would be best to focus on. i.e a specific project or the broader Toronto market and skyline as a whole

[@tokyogamer5825]

@@urbaninternational Good question. There is a lot going on right now. Canadas tallest skyscraper and super tall is going to be finished 2024 called "The One", it will reach 338M tall or 1108ft . Also, Canadas largest transit project since 1960s called "Eglinton Crosstown - a 19km train line with 25 stations" is going to be finished 2023. This subway line will connect to the Bloor-Danforth subway, The Yonge-university Subway, The UP Express train to the airport, the kitchener Go Train, The Barrie Line Go train, The Stouffville line Go Train, and the future Ontario Line Subway. It will also have an extension that will be finished at a later date that will go into the neighbouring city of Mississauga and connect to the Airport. The crosstown is already changing the fabric of the city with more skyscrapers being built along the line than anytime in the history of Toronto. This is causing a Manhattan effect in midtown Toronto Yonge/Eglinton intersection.

[@sachemofboston3649]

Toronto is making a big mistake if they're taking inspiration from our Seaport District lol

[@cedric4610]

Pretty much the equivalent to DC's Navy Yard/Wharf area. Boring.

[@urbaninternational]

Very true! Some have also compared it to NYC's Hudson yards

[@AgentBlack50]

Excellent content very underrated challenge you have B1M quality writing all over this vide. I subscribed 😎

[@urbaninternational]

Thank you!! Glad to have you on board. Any suggestions for videos you'd like to see in the future?

[@jdchatham47]

Wow, look - there is no parking there (well +$30 a pop). Oh yeah, can you get there on the T or by bus? Nope. It's a great place.

[@urbaninternational]

Hahaha freezing and windy compared to the rest of the city too right?

[@mmurray1983]

The convention Center (BCEC) predated the Westin next door by a year, completed in 2004. And strictly speaking the construction of the Moakley Courthouse, completed on Fan Pier in 1999, was the FIRST glimmer of the new Seaport. As was the Evelyn Moakley Bridge in 2001. An argument could be ,made that even some of the Construction on the Downtown side of the Fort Point Channel as early as the last 1980s that was done in anticipation of the Central Artery coming down presaged the "NEW" Seaport. The Boston Harbor Hotel was built in 1987, International Place in 1988, and South Station was renovated in the 1990s. Also, The Seaport is NOT connected to downtown by the NEW highway, it is re-connected to downtown by the ABSENCE of the OLD one. It is arguably BETTER connected to the suburbs via the new Highway(s) [I90 extension and I93] because of better traffic flow. If you are Downtown and you take advice to get on the highway to get to the Seaport you will spend an hour driving to Dorchester and back.

[@ethanadams8165]

It all looks so sterile to me. No thanks.

[@19badboy27]

I didn’t know anything about Boston until I moved here earlier this year for work. I landed a job at the seaport district and I honestly never thought much about it. To me this is just the way it has always been. After watching this video though, I have a deeper appreciation for my work place. Thanks for posting this video, I didn’t realize how lucky I am! 😄

[@urbaninternational]

Thanks for watching and commenting! How're you enjoying Boston so far since moving?

[@JG-id5vi]

seemed to happen in a blink of an eye.

[@treasurechest123]

I hope you step outside of Seaport to see the real Boston too!

[@jonathanblair5255]

You’re Spot on with this! You do it once it’s cool and then you’re done. I prefer Broadway in South Boston going out to Castle island. This has the charm of a manufactured city in China.

[@shanekeenaNYC]

See, Boston should build an extension to the yellow line that goes along the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and then makes a banked turn down Seaport, taking it all the way to somewhere in western City Point.

[@tokyogamer5825]

I'm not from Boston, but the first thing I did was search up to see if the seaport was connected to any train lines, This is a huge factor for urbanites.

[@urbaninternational]

Seaport has the silver line, which technically is part of the MBTA system, but it's not "the T" the same as the red, green, orange, or blue line. It's basically an underground bus that goes around Seaport, South Station, and the airport

[@shanekeenaNYC]

@@urbaninternational Yeah, they should get something that is part of the T. Anything that can complement the shuttle services and expand the T network formally to that level is good.

[@sighchicken7369]

@@urbaninternational MBTA constructed massive stations for the silver line in Seaport in hopes that people there would ride them and improve affordable housing. But did they consider that people who moved to Seaport only moved in using their luxury cars along the new highway tunnel? They know the silver line only serves working class people to commute to their jobs along Seaport and the airport.

[@nsick]

@@urbaninternational No connection to North Station, which is where half of Boston's commuter rail lines leave from. There's a shuttle bus to take workers from the Seaport to North Station, but it is often stuck in the gridlock traffic of the city, sometimes runs late, and often causes missed connections. It's a massive failure that there's no subway connection running to the Seaport.

[@wysiwyg88888]

Its a plastic neighborhood at best. I miss Jimmy's, Anthony's, The Harbor Club where you'd see REAL people.

[@stripping_architecture]

A classical example of MEGA gentrification. Turning parking lots in Boston into expensive urban area is piece of cake, at least in Boston. Turning this kind of areas into affordable housing is challenge that I am not sure when Boston gonna be able to figure it out . Respect to the professionals but this city is urbanized by politics. To have a brand new area developed with out major and basic services such as hospitals, schoold, parks e.c.t and on top of it not to be affordable is nothing but failed urbanization and stealing land from Bostonians. Cheers.

[@will-r5244]

Interesting. But you left out two major parts of the transformation of the Seaport area: the outdoor concert pavilion, now called Leader Bank Pavilion (opened in 1994 on Fan Pier, then moved further into Seaport in 1999); and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) which moved there in 2006. These two destinations made the are a place people actually had a reason to visit. Before that the only draw was the No Name seafood restaurant that had some fame for a few years. It is amazing how fast the rest got built up. Most people I know that live in the Boston area consider it to be a soulless, empty, glitzy neighborhood that doesn't feel like Boston at all. Also, it will probably be under water in the future.

[@jafr99999]

I miss the Whiskey Priest!

[@whateverwavy]

i've always wondered how Seaport was built seemingly out on nowhere. compared to all of the other neighborhoods, you can see the all the gentrification glistening off of the glass buildings everywhere

[@tedd7028]

@2 minutes. Actually The Seaport Hotel opened 1999. I believe that was the first, but they really didn't call it Seaport yet. It was just part of South Boston.

[@strobelightbrian]

I got to admit that there is a major issue with this video about the Westin. Before the Westin was built the BCEC was built. The BCEC was finished and opened in 04. Fun fact, the Westin is built on land that the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns. The same quazi-state government agency that runs to BCEC. 2:19

[@simon5005]

I always wondered, when I was young, why Boston didn't have a waterfront like San Francisco. It's beautiful what they did, but of course, it's just for the super wealthy, which is so America now.

[@jacbrito]

I wish they would still build things beautiful. I don't like modern architecture. Everything is glass. I like the old red bricks better. I know, it's just my opinion.

[@DZVtornado]

I worked in Seaport and while it's beautiful and full of vibrant young people paying $4,500 for a studio apartment--it's a complete nightmare to get in and out of because there is no infrastructure. There is little to no public transportation (and spare me about the silver line). There are basically two bridges that become massively gridlocked every day. Seaport is inaccessible for the average person. (There is almost no public/street parking and the parking garages charge $40+) Unfortunately, Seaport did nothing to solve any of Boston's problems. But... it is pretty.

[@michaelsteffany5039]

Bostonian here. The seaport is not a neighborhood, it’s full of characterless PE backed chains, put there by the PE firms and the PE adjacent firms that service them, and the PE bros that live and work in the “neighborhood”. It’s gross. The seaport is the worst part of Boston by a very large margin.

[@M1911jln]

And you fail to mention just how awful the Seaport District is. What are the beloved neighborhoods in Boston? The North End. Beacon Hill. Back Bay. In all of those neighborhoods, the buildings are of human scale. Most are about 3 stories tall with some 5 stories tall. They have charm and light and human scale. The Seaport District is horrid. The buildings are huge and ugly. The traffic is horrendous. There is nothing welcoming about the place at all. The Seaport District is a monument to the failure of urban planning.

[@jh9992]

It's not a neighborhood. It is a fast-tracked commercial building development. It boomed after Menino left office and he was known to slow down seaport progress. Plans for the seaport development actually started in the 1980s. What I can't wrap my head around is that this landfill essentially below sea level. And whenever there are "king tides", the media immediately jumps to climate change, when in fact, it's the ocean trying to reclaim its property.

[@Bissell28]

went to it last spring and it was completely dead and lacked any sort of fun. Just void of any personality....there are fun things to do but they are INCREDIBLY spaced out.

[@tomford3018]

I worked on many of these buildings. They all have pumps running 24/7/365 to keep their basements from being flooded with sea water. Most are already sinking more than planned. They are going to have major issues in the future.

[@roberttuss5349]

Very informative video. I live in Boston and worked on the big dig. Excellent job with the history. But...I can't stand the use of the adjective "cool" to describe any place or object. And "way better" is another one. Also was it really necessary to play the "race and diversity card"? Rich people live there period.. White, black, etc. all live there.

[@Horseracingtip]

I don't know anyone who cares about "diversity" in a neighborhood. People say it's just a far left-wing activist word.

[@smantie]

No. THE Seaport is an absolute disaster. A soulless neighborhood built by people who don't live in the city for people who've never lived in a city, but without any way for people from outside the city to access it. It is widely lambasted within Boston, to the point where it's become a meme. The occupancy levels of apartments there are hilariously low. It has been a complete and utter failure for the city.

[@tonebenderx]

Used to work nearby. it used to be old stone and brick office buldings and cobble-stone streets. Now it's tall generic glass & steel buildings packed tightly together. Try finding a place to buy groceries or a green space or a view of the harbor. Like a lot of Bostonians, I avoid it at all costs. With all due respect, the person who made this video is clearly not from around here. Seaport is NOT cool and definitely, definitely NOT a "neighborhood."

[@michaelohare6555]

Boston didn’t build this. Real Estate developers did. When you over regulate your cities you get decrepit aged inventory. When you let private developers develop property you get modern, efficient new housing and commercial building units.

[@final_mile_music9713]

It’s tempting to criticize. But I was in Cincinnati in the summer and, apart from the area near the Bengals stadium, it’s completely dead and mostly boarded up. At least Boston is thriving.