Abstract
In 1993 and 1996, the Unit compiled two urban planing reports for the reuse of decommissioned military bases and historic navy shipyards in Boston and South Boston, USA.
The first, “Balanced Growth Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions” (1993) was a Technical Assistance and Research and Evaluation lead by Dr. Francois Vigier (The Unit, Chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Design) with Victor W. Karen (City of Boston’s planning and redevelopment agency). The undertaking was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA in turn supported the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) to assist communities through the military base decommissioning process and transition to civilian life.
The report presented urban planning approaches to harness the potential social and economic reuse of U.S. military bases scheduled for closure. Forts included Fort Devens, MA: An army base in a rural setting (c. 1996); Charleston Navy Yard, SC: A navy facility in an urban setting; and Lowry Air Force Base, CO: An air force installation in a suburban setting. (2.3 Capsule Project Description).
Local professionals were consulted for the study, including leading educators and urban planning experts in the Boston area from the mid-1990s: Robert W. Rush (Director of Economic Development for the City of Springfield, MA); James English (Project manager for a private sector biotechnology for Charlestown Navy Yard); Paul Van Dien Davis (Private sector real estate manager for Charlestown Navy Yard’s developer); William Poorvu (Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School); and Alan Altshuler (Ruth and Frank Stanton Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at the Graduate School of Design and Kennedy School of Government and Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for State and Local Government) – circa. 1996.
The second report, “Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions (1996)” was authored by the Unit, led by Dr. Vigier (former Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning, Harvard University), and Edward Robbins (Lecturer in Urban Design). Documents include an Executive Report, a Summary Report, and Main report. The strategy addressed four points of value in the specific case of Boston’s base zones: historic value, regional economic trends, investment for economic growth, and the centralization of a community input process in the formulation of a closure strategy for Boston’s bases. Overall, this pair of reports are excellent models of the Unit’s early style of professional urban planning.
See related I2UD projects below
| Project Year | 1993-1996 |
| Project Type: | Technical Assistance |
| Geographic Regions: | Charlestown Navy Yard and Marine Industrial Park, Boston, Massachusetts, USA / (Formerly) Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, USA / (Formerly) Fort Devens, Massachusetts, USA / (Formerly) Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, USA / (Formerly) Charleston Naval Complex, South Carolina, USA |
| Reports: | Balanced Growth Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions: (Vigier, December 1993) ___ Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions: (Executive Summary, 1996) Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions: (Summary Report, December 1996) Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions: (Main Report, December 1996) |
| Authors: | Dr. Francois Vigier (the Unit); Victor W. Karen; Edward Robbin; Robert W. Rush; James English; Paul Van Dien Davis |
| Sponsors: | Economic Development Administration (ESA), U.S. Dept. of Commerce Development Administration |
| Categories: | Urban Finance |
| ID: | 1996_12_001 |
Related I2UD Projects
Related by – CUDS International Education Program
Related by – Work in Boston, Massachusetts
ITP 1994: “Revitalization in Older Urban Spaces,” Upham’s Corner, Dorchester, Boston, South Boston, and New Haven (US); Montpellier (France); and Cork (Ireland) with Case Studies, International Education Programs, 1994
Reuse Plans for Boston’s Navy Yards and Military Bases: “Balanced Growth Reuse Strategies for Military Base Conversions,” Boston, USA, 1993-1996
City of Boston’s “Neighborhood Partnership Initiative” & “Main Street Program,” Urban Revitalization for Roslindale and West Roxbury, Boston, United States, 1997
ITP 1997: “South Boston Metropolitan Area Community Housing,” Case Studies from Boston, Massachusetts, International Training Programs, 1997
IEP August 2000: “Boston, Massachusetts: Strategic Plans and Community Participation,” International Education Programs, 2000
Seminar on “Partnerships and Urban Development in Older Neighborhoods in Paris and Boston,” with Centre de Recherches sur l’Habitat (CRH), April 2004
ITP 1982-2000: Survey of Modules for International Training Program Seminars