This semester, we were honored to have students from Rhode Island School of Design use Newmarket as their final project location. Their challenge was to incorporate residential and green spaces, aesthetically pleasing and practical architecture, all while honoring the industrial hub of Boston.
The projects ranged from an idyllic sky-bridge between mixed use shops and apartment buildings to re-imaging the Massachusetts Ave and Melnea Cass Blvd intersection into a roundabout. One project saw the potential in the area behind wholesale loading docks as market-style storefronts open to individual shoppers, while another paid attention to the potential of building near the Newmarket train station.
While most projects ultimately had conflicting constraints with the zoning restrictions, the BID was encouraged to see the ways Newmarket entices innovation. The recent zoning changes in line with PLAN: Newmarket are meant to make the area exciting for developers and businesses to thrive in the district.
