Last week, the Boston Globe sponsored a discussion as part of its Building a Better Commonwealth series, Loosen Up, Boston?, where a group of panelists was asked its opinion on how to make Boston a more creative, dare I say “hip”, place to live."How can we work together to find the right balance between maintaining Boston's character and needs of local residents while enhancing urban vitality and giving new nightlife venues a chance to take root?"It’s nothing new to hear a person here or there talking about Boston not being the most interesting, exciting place to live. But, an audience of ~…

Two weeks ago, South Boston resident Barbara Coyne was killed in her own home. Last fall, Barbara Tagen, also from Southie and also in her 60’s, was killed. Police believe both attacks were drug-related. The response to these tragic events has been an outpouring of expression from residents telling tales of a neighborhood reeling from drug addiction and violent crimes committed as a result. Not everyone seems to be taking the problem as seriously, unfortunately. Boston Herald reporter Ted Fitzgerald asked Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week if the situation was “worse than usual”.  The …

I hate it when people act arrogantly. Drivers cutting off other drivers in traffic, guys throwing frisbees that end up banging parents in the head while sitting having picnics - you get the idea.I encountered my worst pet peeve last week while sitting in Blackstone Square, on Washington Street in the South End.The square is busy most days. Men with bottles hang out there, talking and arguing with one another (and themselves). Mothers with babies mingle about, sunning themselves. And, pet owners bring their dogs there to poop on the lawn and run up on unsuspecting people’s laps.Previous …

Dear Mayor Menino: You win! On behalf of all city residents who have been holding out for a better Boston than you’ve provided for us, I concede.A few of us (a dwindling few) have always thought Boston could be better - that you could do better. We’ve seen the city grow and prosper during the past twenty years, but felt it was being held back from being a truly great American city. Not that we aren’t happy to live here, just that you could help us make Boston a better place to live by building badly-needed schools in our neighborhoods,  by recognizing, respecting, and responding to residents…

The Boston Foundation (TBF) released its annual Boston Indicators (BIP) report, last Wednesday. Its authors examine the current state of the city, diagnose some of its problems, and lay out strategies for its future.It’s an expansive report, full of data and analysis. Below, a summary, along with my own thoughts.Boston innovationThe city of Boston has a lot of talent, much of it focused on the “innovation economy clusters” of higher education, financial services, and healthcare industries.Unfortunately, the city’s health and residents’ continued prosperity are at risk, due to forces both …

Last evening, high on a lethal mix of cold medicine, Zolpidem, and Yuengling beer, I headed to the Barnes & Noble in Back Bay to pick up a copy of Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72”. On the way back home thought I'd stop by presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Super Tuesday celebration at the Westin Copley Place. If I couldn't crash it, I hoped I'd get a good story out of it.But, before I could reach the party, I was overcome with nausea, so I beelined it to the closest men's room.After several dry heaves in the only open stall available, I heard the sobbing of…

According to a recently released study from the Center for Housing Policy, 24% of Massachusetts families are spending as much as 50% of their incomes on housing. This will come as no surprise to those of us living here in Boston. Housing is expensive? This, we know. But, why does housing cost so much and, even more important, how can we fix this? How we got hereBoston hasn’t always been a great place to live. Between the 1950’s to 1980’s, the city’s downtown neighborhoods were in decline as the middle class moved to the suburbs.  Things got worse when the busing crisis of the 1970’s led many …

As a companion piece to Jack Kelly’s Feb. 13 column, I thought I’d provide a deeper analysis of the Boston Public School student assignment policy and the challenges the city’s schools face going forward. Boston could end busing, today. It was instated in 1974 because the public school system was deemed "unconstitutionally segregated” and students were bused to schools outside their neighborhoods to create a better balance. That was 34 years ago, when out of approximately 100,000 students, 51 percent were white. Today, we have just over 57,000 students, and 13 percent are white. Hispanic (41…

Upon hearing that former mayor Kevin White had died, I started thinking about how Boston has changed during the past 40 years. Who would have thought Boston would be where it is, today? Looking forward, what will Boston be like 40 years from now, or even in just 10?Based on the pattern established over the past several decades, Boston’s population will probably grow around 5 percent (although some predict much higher numbers). If so, the city will be home to 648,473 residents in 2020, an increase of 30,879 people. Meanwhile, Greater Boston will most likely grow, too, with over a hundred …

I believe you can tell how strong and healthy a neighborhood is by looking at its stores, shops, and restaurants, and what I’m seeing in downtown Boston right now is giving me cause for alarm. Whether because of the bad economy or something worse (did someone say, “Degentrification?"), it seems something is happening in our neighborhoods, something we haven’t seen in quite awhile.Much fuss was made over the recent proposal by a developer to open a Dunkin’ Donuts on Tremont Street, in the South End. While South Enders were arguing over the merits of a donut shop, Beacon Hill residents were …

My predictions for 2012.1. Willard ‘Mitt’ RomneyStarting with the most-timely prediction, by the end of day today, the results of the Iowa caucus will be in. My prediction is a virtual tie between ex-Governor Mitt Romney, current US Congressman Ron Paul, and ex-US Senator Rick Santorum.It doesn’t matter. In my opinion, all of the candidates stink like garbage, which is why I’m going out on a limb in predicting the Republican nominee for US President won’t be decided until August’s GOP convention. There will be a brokered convention and, in an incredible turn of events, Newt Gingrich will be …

What does “home” mean to you? A place to lay your head at night? Where your parents live, and you and your children? Or, is it much more than that? How do you feel when you’re home? Safe? Secure?A home, physically, is nothing more than a house - four walls and the roof over our condo, or our apartment.Home, emotionally, is quite a different thing.Childhood MemoriesI have fond memories of waking up Christmas mornings as a child and sneaking downstairs to check out my presents. I can barely remember anything I got; instead, I remember spending time with my mother and father and my brother and …

Last week, I offered suggestions on how Boston’s public transportation system could be improved. This week, I’m proposing changes that would improve automobile traffic flow into, out of, and through the city.Although we all wish that everyone would take public transportation to and from Boston, the truth is, we will always need roads, bridges, and tunnels. The problem is, our system is overburdened, even after completion of the $22 billion Central Artery and Third Harbor Tunnel projects. Many Bostonians think of our city as one continuous traffic jam.Here are some ways we can ease the …

Boston has a transportation problem.Our city is home to 617,594 residents. Its population swells to over one million workers and shoppers, every weekday, including approximately 300,000 commuters, half of whom take public transportation. The other half, lamentably, drive. Meanwhile, more than 350,000 Boston residents have their own cars.The city’s streets can’t handle this burden. Even if we continued to build new roads it wouldn’t reduce congestion or stop traffic jams. Experts believe that adding expressways, tunnels, and bridges only encourages more people to drive.Instead, we need to …

Condominium prices and apartment rents in Boston are as high as ever, despite the recession, and they will inevitably increase even more as our economy improves. The cause of the problem is the same as it's always been: too much demand and too little supply. If we don’t come up with a solution, I fear our city will stop growing and we’ll be faced with a dire situation. The time to act is now.Here are some ideas I have for how to deal with Boston's housing crisis.Eliminate the city's affordable housing programThe mayor's affordable housing policy hasn't been been very successful. It’s time to …

Dear Occupy Boston occupiers:Let me tell you about a protester I’ve been a fan of for many years.His name was Helmuth Hübener. He was born a child of the German Weimar Republic and grew up as the Nazis came to power. His contempt for the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and the totalitarian rule of the Nazis swelled during the early years of World War II. Being in possession of a short-wave radio, he, along with friends (and fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Rudi Wobbe and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, began spending late nights listening, illegally, to BBC broadcasts as …

I make it a rule to not pay much attention to whatever Willard “Mitt”, a.k.a. “Billy”, Romney says. Unfortunately, he just won’t go away. He’s effectively spent the past 17 years running for one public office or another (of which he only spent four actually in office, as Governor of Massachusetts) and now he’s running for US President, again.On the campaign trail, it often seems as though he’s in a tug-of-war with himself, wanting to brag about his accomplishments during his tenure as Mass. governor from 2003-2007 while at the same time distancing himself from anything that actually happened …

Some South End residents are against two new restaurants opening on Washington Street. To me, their reaction is a microcosm of what’s happening elsewhere in the city - on Main Street in Charlestown, Centre Streets in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, Boylston Street in Back Bay, and Charles Street in Beacon Hill. People want an active role and a bigger say in what’s happening in their neighborhoods, and this means that sometimes people are against things.As South End Patch reported, opposition led developers of the Hite Radio and TV site to withdraw their plans - completely -  while heated …

You might not be aware of it, but there’s a city of Boston primary election two weeks from today, on September 27, 2011. The primary is being held to narrow the field of candidates for the 13 city councilor positions, of which there are four at-large (representing the entire city) and nine district councilors. Sadly, not every councilor position is being contested. The at-large race has seven candidates, including the four incumbents, but five of the nine district councilors are running unopposed. They are, and the neighborhoods they represent are: (The hyperlinks in this column are to the …

On Monday, Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino announced a “Ten Strategies for Job Growth” plan during a breakfast address before the Greater Boston Labor Council. Included are ideas such as increasing vocational and technical training and summer jobs programs, simplifying the city’s permitting process, and increasing city-state tax credits for infrastructure improvements.The mayor has done a good job of keeping the city running during this grueling recession; the city of Boston has a 7.9 percent unemployment rate whereas the nation’s rate is 9.1 percent. This new plan, however, seems unlikely to …