Letter From the Chairman, Michael E. Mooney

While the impact of transportation on economic development has often been overlooked, that paradigm shifted in 2008 as issues of transportation finance, safety and expansion for competitive advantage were elevated in the public debate.  Statewide issues of financing transportation arose as well, however, and present an ongoing obstacle to the advancement of prioritized infrastructure investment projects.  A Better City’s long history with issues of economic development and transportation investment enabled us during 2008 to provide continuing leadership and insight on the core principles and ideas for which ABC has been an advocate for many years.

ABC continued during 2008 to take an active leadership role in the “Our Transportation Future” Coalition, along with partners such as Conservation Law Foundation, Construction Industries of Massachusetts, Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Massachusetts Building Trades Council. Our collaborative efforts are geared toward promoting an efficient, equitable and effective transportation system for the Commonwealth. From standing room only panel discussions to a series of press events and meetings with editorial boards, the coalition played a prominent role on Beacon Hill in continuing to raise the profile of Massachusetts’ transportation challenges.

The year also marked a meaningful milestone for our Greenway abutters, who have dedicated significant resources to the development of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.  Peter Meade and Nancy Brennan of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy led the efforts that established the Conservancy and provided public funding for the parks.  A Better City supported these efforts by way of our Abutter’s Committee, chaired by Bud Ris and Peter Shields.  The official opening of these parks was truly an historic accomplishment for the city, the state and the numerous stakeholders involved over the last two decades.  I speak for my fellow Board members and associates when I say that we all took great pleasure in enjoying the Conservancy’s grand opening celebrations this past October.

After decades of thought and planning, the Urban Ring project has been included in both of Governor Patrick’s transportation bond bills, thanks to the leadership of Tom Glynn and Paul Levy.  With Tom and Paul at the helm, A Better City worked closely with EOT, MASCO and other partners to better define the alignment of the Urban Ring corridor and to lead a robust stakeholder input process that helped EOT release the revised draft environmental documents in November 2008.  Securing funding through the bond bills ensures the project can continue to meet major planning and engineering milestones, and we hope to see several early actions implemented along the corridor within the next few years.

Under the leadership of Jim Rooney, A Better City’s Silver Line Business & Institutional Committee supported community outreach efforts that addressed stakeholder concerns.  In addition, the Committee hosted a series of meetings for abutters to learn about construction methodology and traffic mitigation from MBTA technical consultants.  ABC considers the Silver Line project an invaluable public transportation investment that can generate thousands of new jobs for our local economy by providing improved access to Boston’s densely populated and pedestrian oriented neighborhoods.  The project is currently at 30% design, and I am pleased to share that our TransitWorks rider satisfaction study concluded that 92% of survey respondents were satisfied with Silver Line Washington Street corridor service.

In 2008, A Better City initiated an exciting project designed to provide leadership with businesses and institutions interested in corporate environmental responsibility.  The launch of our Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative would not have been possible without our Committee chairman John Drew and the generous support of Trigen, National Grid and NSTAR.  Our inaugural workshop event, “Creating Your Sustainable Work Site,” featured topics on planning and design, procurement and operations.  Through our Sustainability Network events, we will continue to support the education of our members on industry best practices by highlighting area businesses that have incorporated sustainable practices into facility management procedures. 

Through A Better City’s Transportation Management Association (ABC TMA) and TransitWorks, A Better City continues to improve Boston’s regional environmental air quality by supporting programming that encourages the business community to incorporate public transit, car/vanpooling and active (bike/walk) commuting into daily work trips.  ABC’s progressive transportation management work has led to the prevention of over 358,126 miles traveled by personal vehicles for commuting purposes.  In collaboration with TMA Board members and associates, our staff’s efforts have been successful in preventing 37,660 pounds of pollutants –of which 16,279 were carbon dioxide – from being emitted into the atmosphere.  TransitWorks continues to be an active partner with the MBTA, providing valuable statistical research and analysis to improve MBTA customer experience.  This year, that work included a study of tourist usage of public transportation, a customer call center study and the annual Transit Diary survey.

Finally, recognizing the importance of our members to all we do, I am pleased to report that we welcomed eleven new members in 2008, including: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Bowditch & Dewey LLP, Bristol Properties, Choate Hall & Stewart, Citizens Bank, Elkus Manfredi, Live Nation, Northland Investment Corp., Raymond Property Company, Skanska USA and Trinity Financial. The strength of the ABC Board is the cornerstone of our organization, and we are grateful for our members’ continued support and dedication. Our success would not be possible without their unwavering dedication, as well as that of our public sector and nonprofit partners. We look forward to continuing these productive partnerships in 2009 to take even greater strides in the areas of transportation, land development and the public realm, making Boston truly A Better City.

Very truly yours,
 
Michael E. Mooney, Esq.
Managing Partner
Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP

 

*Zakim Bridge photo by Caroline Crockett