Boston Square, Grand Rapids
UrbanWorks reimagines a nine-acre site in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to establish Boston Square as a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use destination for the neighborhood and city. A new terraced community park exposes a long-covered creek that inspires water elements throughout the development and connects Boston Square and the community with nature. A food hall, community hub, and early childhood learning center provide civic amenities, supplemented by retail development along the project’s western edge on Kalamazoo Avenue. A variety of apartments and townhomes provide distinct housing options, linked via pedestrian walks to each of Boston Square’s unique features. These components comprise a cohesive urban vision that builds on the community’s history and aspirations, tying new built forms to the natural ecology that has long been hidden from view.
UrbanWorks led three intensive community engagement workshops to develop concept plans that reflect neighbors’ needs and desires for Boston Square. This equity-based community design process included three intensive community engagement workshops that led to widespread neighborhood acceptance of this distinctive urban plan.