Utile worked with the City of Boston and non-profit A Better City to develop design and process guidelines for tactical activation of the public realm. Each year, the City will fund several of these low-cost projects based on community applications. This program was created in reaction to the community’s input from the City’s Go Boston 2030 mobility planning effort (a NelsonNygaard and Utile collaboration), which made clear that improving the public realm is a top priority for residents of Boston. This effort also celebrates the changing role of the street to become more than a mere thoroughfare for transportation; it can also serve as a space for the community to engage, express creativity, and experiment with new technology related to the built environment. You can read more about the guidelines for specific project types including Tactical Plazas, Parklets, Outdoor Cafes, and Street Murals at the City’s Tactical Public Realm website.
