I am running to be the first new Boston mayor in 16 years because I love my city and I strongly believe that we can do so much better. But I also entered this race because I'm concerned. After 16 years of the current administration, Boston is stuck – with the same worn-out ideas, the same patronage politics, and the same tired leadership.
Looking across the country, cities are incubators for change – testing new and innovative policies to transform our economies, services, transportation, and environment. We need to embrace these forward-thinking ideas in Boston too. So, after 16 years of the same machine politics, but no new ideas and no fresh thinking, it’s time that we, together, bring change and creativity to the Boston mayor's office.
Take the environment. While I'm a strong supporter of capping carbon emissions, we can’t wait for a national policy to make our cities greener. Cities across the country are taking action right now – reducing their carbon footprint and transforming their economies. San Francisco incentivizes solar usage and has an ambitious recycling program. Seattle's green building standards have made it a leader in sustainable buildings and led to a rapidly growing industry (and job producer).
But Boston, one of the intellectual hubs of our country, is stuck. While our incumbent mayor, Tom Menino has taken a few symbolic steps towards reducing Boston’s carbon footprint, we've seen more commissions than policy; more talk than transformational change.
Boston needs a bold and innovative green policy – for our environment, for our economy and for our children.
The most important shift is a fundamental one. Smart growth, transit oriented development, energy efficiency – these have to be the guiding principles of government. Below I've shared some ideas for greening Boston, but I'd love to hear your thoughts too. What has been successful in your city? What has worked in your city government?
Retrofitting Our Aging Homes
As any green planner will tell you, the greenest building is the one that is already built. Creating environmental standards for new buildings is important, but Boston’s housing stock is among the oldest in the nation. It lacks the weatherization to minimize energy use in the summer and winter.
We can work in collaboration with youth organizations, community groups, and unions to create good, green jobs and energy savings for low-income families.
Creating Green Neighborhoods
I came to Boston to study urban planning and transportation at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and neighborhood planning is an area that I know we can dramatically improve.
We can rezone our neighborhoods to encourage community gardens and farmers’ markets, incentivize fresh produce options in neighborhood convenience stores and bodegas, and transform our streets to calm traffic. We can accommodate more pedestrian and bike traffic. That means more trips on foot, more trips on bikes, and more trips not taken - because of the abundance of local options.
Incentivizing Green Roofs
One of the most exciting innovations in cities around the country is green roofs – roofs covered in soil and vegetation, planted over a waterproof membrane. These roofs promote energy efficiency, reduce storm-water runoff, improve air quality, lessen the urban heat island effect, reduce noise, promote productivity, beautify rooftops, and extend roof life. They also create new markets and jobs for rooftop garden products.
We should offer a property tax abatement to incentivize home owners to convert to green roofs. I am proposing such a measure in the City Council this week.
Managing City Vehicles Efficiently
Last month, I introduced a fleet sharing proposal at City Hall. This is an idea that harnesses the best thinking of Boston's technology sector to help reduce the number of cars on our roads, save taxpayer money, and reduce our carbon footprint.
The idea is simple: We maximize the use of our City's fleet through vehicle-sharing technology. City workers reserve cars and vans through an internal system on an as-needed basis. This means fewer cars used by workers across all departments, lower emissions and fuel consumption - and big savings for taxpayers.
What ideas have worked in your home towns and cities? From my ten years of experience as a community organizer, I know that some of the best ideas come from ordinary people in the neighborhoods all over our country. Let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Sam
I will stick around here for an hour or so to field any questions or comments you all might have – let’s exchange ideas.