Photo Credit: Hill International, Inc.
A once-underused city park located along Boston’s Columbus Avenue Corridor in the South End and Lower Roxbury neighborhoods, the new William E. Carter Playground represents more than the typical urban green space. The $26-million project is a result of a unique public-private partnership between Northeastern University and the city, and offers a myriad of shared benefits to city residents and university students.
Carter Playground ushers in a new era of recreation, complete with modernized playing surfaces, specialized equipment for children with disabilities, and a temporary Seasonal Air Structure (SAS) “bubble” over one of its fields to facilitate year-round use. The park’s transformation is part of the university’s commitment to making physical improvements along the edges of its campus that benefit neighboring communities. Achieving the project was a complex undertaking that involved constant coordination with a number of key private and public players and project stakeholders, as well as meeting construction challenges with creativity.
Realizing Shared Goals
In 2013, the university proposed an amended Institutional Master Plan and cooperation agreement for city review and approval, with specific goals to address Carter Playground’s need for a complete renovation. The project was an opportunity for the university to work with the community to improve a vital recreational resource, while providing a prospective partnership for the city. To that end, Northeastern provided the funding for the project and has committed more than $80 million to maintain the park.