Lower Mystic Waterfront Vision

Background and Challenge

The Mystic River meanders through eastern Massachusetts before reaching Boston Harbor. Its lower watershed includes East Boston, Charlestown, Somerville, Cambridge, Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, and Medford. As a densely populated coastal area, the lower Mystic faces significant challenges from rising sea levels, increased flooding risks, and tensions between competing land uses. There are also different visions for its future. Municipal leaders, environmental groups, industry representatives, state officials, and local communities all see the river’s waterfront as a critical asset for distinct reasons. It could be a place for better parks, more conservation, green infrastructure, protection from coastal storms, and a working waterfront with well paying jobs. The range of considerations and interests here animate the effort to address the waterfront’s long-term challenges and opportunities.

Our Approach

In partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and Stoss Landscape Urbanism, CBI led an engagement process to develop a Waterfront Vision for the Lower Mystic. The team brought together public officials from the watershed’s municipalities, business leaders, and representatives from state agencies to define four core objectives: climate-ready communities, continuous waterfront access, inclusive open space, and a thriving working waterfront. In parallel, CBI enlisted 14 community advisors well versed in their communities, who were compensated to support the development of a multipronged engagement strategy. The outreach process, carried out in the summer and fall of 2024, included surveys in Spanish, English, and Chinese; a community gathering with hundreds of participants; and the development and use of hands-on tools for open space design. The team conducted more than 20 on-site interviews along the waterfront and received feedback from over 350 community members through online surveys and at local events (some of which can be heard in a podcast episode produced by CBI).

Results of Community Input

235 residents engaged with a hands-on kit for illustrating possible park designs. They identified such important features as boardwalks, tree plantings, restrooms, accessible play areas, splash pads, and water taxis for the parks they could be excited about. This breadth of feedback is helping guide the final vision and will inform the future development of park guidelines for the Lower Mystic. The vision’s strong emphasis on grassroots input ensures that spaces for collaboration and negotiation include the views and priorities of community members.