Barren Land

Architect and classicist John Massengale looks at a century of urban planning in Boston, using photos to compare how how large-scale transportation projects (like the Big Dig, one of the most corrupt programs in American history) have left (what looks to me like) desolate spaces. (Part I, Part II, Part III)

Of course it's a good thing that the Central Artery has come down, letting the broken connections to the North End and the waterfront be rebuilt. And Boston has a tradition of linear parks in the Fenway and Comm Ave, Boston's great urban spine from the 19th century. But is there too much parkway, and too little urbanism? Time will tell, maybe Newsweek.