The Hub's Metropolis: Greater Boston's Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth

by James C. O'Connell

The evolution of the Boston metropolitan area, from country villages and streetcar suburbs to exurban sprawl and “smart growth.” Boston's metropolitan landscape has been two hundred years in the making. From its proto-suburban village centers of 1800 to its far-flung, automobile-centric exurbs of today, Boston has been a national pacesetter for suburbanization. In The Hub's Metropolis , James O'Connell charts the evolution of Boston's suburban development. The city of Boston is compact and consolidated—famously, “the Hub.” Greater Boston, however, stretches over 1,736 square miles and ranks as the world's sixth largest metropolitan area. Boston suburbs began to develop after 1820, when wealthy city dwellers built country estates that were just a short carriage ride away from their homes in the city. Then, as transportation became more efficient and affordable, the map of the suburbs expanded. The Metropolitan Park Commission's park-and-parkway system, developed in the 1890s, created a template for suburbanization that represents the country's first example of regional planning. O'Connell identifies nine layers of Boston's suburban development, each of which has left its imprint on the traditional villages; country retreats; railroad suburbs; streetcar suburbs (the first electric streetcar boulevard, Beacon Street in Brookline, was designed by Frederic Law Olmsted); parkway suburbs, which emphasized public greenspace but also encouraged commuting by automobile; mill towns, with housing for workers; upscale and middle-class suburbs accessible by outer-belt highways like Route 128; exurban, McMansion-dotted sprawl; and smart growth. Still a pacesetter, Greater Boston has pioneered antisprawl initiatives that encourage compact, mixed-use development in existing neighborhoods near railroad and transit stations. O'Connell reminds us that these nine layers of suburban infrastructure are still woven into the fabric of the metropolis. Each chapter suggests sites to visit, from Waltham country estates to Cambridge triple-deckers.

Genres: Local History, History

344 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2013

Reviews

[Liam Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hub's Metropolis is an outline of development and land use in the Greater Boston region from 1800 to the present.  The book breaks down trends in development in chapters depicting (sometimes overlapping) chronological periods.  These include traditional village centers, country retreats, railroad and streetcar suburbs, parkway, interstate, and other automobile suburbs (and exurbs). mill towns, urban renewal, and smart growth.  The way different parts of the region developed and redeveloped is evident when you visit the very different cities and towns in Greater Boston, but it's very helpful to have this book how these differences came about.  The history of exclusionary zoning to maintain certain suburbs for "the right sort" while other lower income suburbs are descended from working class roots is also well explained.

Favorite Passages:

"The public accepted professionally managed public authorities as appropriate entities for providing infrastructure services.  When deemed necessary, the state created various regional public authorities - Metropolitan District Commission (MDC, 1919), Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport, 1956), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, 1964), Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA, 1984).  But municipalities have not been prepared to cede responsibility to a state or regional body for land use planning and what would be located in one's backyard to a state or regional body." - p. 99

"Yet Boston has its weaknesses. The region has experienced slower growth than other parts of the country, and its cost of living is high.  And there is a social underside to the 'creative' or 'knowledge' economy.  Less skilled workers - and there will always be less skilled workers and a need for their services - are being left behind.  Massachusetts, which is at the head of the nation's 'knowledge' economy, also leads the country (tied with Arizona) in income inequality." - p. 197

"New single-family homes in Greater Boston consume twice as much land as older single-family homes, averaging one acre per house lot ... The large house lots reflect a desire for rural living as well as misplaced belief that expansive land parcels conserve opens space, while they actually fragment wildlife habits.  Low-density land-use patterns also help maintain the social status quo by protecting privacy and restricting access to housing in the community by those of lower economic strata." - p.210-211

"The Darwinian struggle of chain stores is played out across the regional landscape.  It is evident in the constant construction of new, bigger retail outlets, which means there will always be losers in the competitive game.  According to urban designer Seth Harry, 'A shopping center cannot generate new business or create new buying power ... rather they attract customers from existing (shopping) districts or capture a portion of new purchasing power from a growing area.'" - p. 215

"NIMBYism is a real problem for a region seeking to grow its economy, whether building houses or businesses.  Opponents of new development often argue that their community is 'built out.' This is more  of a mindset than an actual limit to construction." - p. 248

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

While informative about the development of Boston’s gradual growth into the suburbs and beyond and the key roles of both public transportation and heavier reliance on the automobile, it still read more like a textbook than a history lesson. I did learn some new things so it was still worthwhile to read. I was disappointed to learn that the book was a few years old so it didn’t touch as much on climate change and global warming as I would have liked.

[Andrew R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview that adds to my understanding of the metropolitan area. I echo a previous review in that the social history could have been explored more: it seemed that themes of classism, xenophobia, and racism were duly noted but not expanded upon as much as they could have been. It also could be improved through the incorporation of more visuals related to different streetcar and, later, railroad lines.

I loved, though, the recommendations of areas representative of different development phases located at the end of each chapter. The later sections, chronicling more recent developments, were also well organized and informative, adding to the literature by summarizing contemporary trends in specific contexts. Built on existing literature that I will now also add to my 'to-read' list!

[Justin Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful survey. O'Connell does a good job incorporating the findings of many landmark works on suburbanization, both generally and within greater Boston. He also does an expert job of untangling the overlapping impacts of the streetcar, commuter train, subway, and the automobile on development patterns. The prose could have shown a little more personality without compromising its authority. And while this is not a social history, I think more examples of how these changes affected real families' choices would have been a worthwhile addition, along with a more visceral sense of the bruising battles fought over them at the state and local level.

[Mills College Library]

330.97446 O181 2013

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fascinating. The author spends a lot of time showing how Boston's political machinations have influenced its suburbs and vice versa.