Trees also soak up stormwater, reduce energy use, and increase property values— and they’re beautiful! Let’s boost Cambridge’s green infrastructure by:

• adding 100 new trees and tree wells to the neighborhoods that need them most
• watering the new trees for the first 2 years to ensure they grow healthy and strong, and providing a hose so residents, businesses, and schoolchildren can volunteer to water a tree
• improving the neighborhoods where the highest-need residents live by planting at least 50 of the new trees near public or subsidized housing and low-income neighborhoods
• including friendly signage with each new tree that lets residents know how to help the trees in their neighborhoods grow to their healthiest and fullest!

Light areas depict a low level of tree canopy; dark areas depict a high level of tree canopy. Sample signage to help citizens care for their "green neighbors."

Part of the funds would go to a contract to install about 20 raised beds for planting vegetables in chosen public sites throughout Cambridge, designed to fit the sites. The remaining funds would go to plant material, such as flower bulbs, for residents to plant in public space throughout Cambridge. Enabling residents to plant on our shared land will strengthen their understanding of and connection to the food cycle, sustainable agriculture, and the natural environment. Caring for our shared environment promotes civic responsibility and democratic values.

There is a long wait list for community gardens, so the raised beds will help meet that demand. Location of and access to these raised beds would be determined by city staff consulting with organized residents and community institutions that can serve as stewards of public plantings. Flower bulbs could be planted by residents in other public locations at appropriate times. Distribution of plant materials should be done in a manner which includes as many residents as possible. (Example of raised beds from Somerville’s Green City Growers: http://growmycitygreen.com/urban-farming-products/raised-beds/)

The 54 raised planting beds will benefit gardeners by offering healthy exercise, affordable and nutritious produce, and food produced with a small carbon footprint. The garden will build community by giving existing and new residents from different backgrounds a place to meet. Adults, families, and kids can dig in the dirt and learn how to grow food and flowers. The beds will be physically accessible for older residents and for people with physical restrictions. The garden will help fill the gap created by the closing of the popular Whittemore Avenue community garden, and will shorten the very long waitlist for a garden space.

Non-gardeners will benefit from benches in a quiet sitting area for enjoying nature and learning from signs with info about the garden and its health and sustainability benefits.

As our city continues to experience murder and other violent deaths, we need to provide a space for grieving families to gather and remember their loved ones. This site will serve as a lasting memorial garden and will be a powerful visual tribute to Cambridge residents who are victims of homicide, suicide, or accidents. Family, friends, and neighbors can reflect, remember, and memorialize loved ones from Cambridge. Stones or objects engraved with the names of victims of violence will be placed in the garden each year.

Similar to the Boston Peace Garden, trees, landscaping, and benches will enhance the area, so that those left behind will have a beautiful, safe, tranquil place to reflect and remember their loss. We propose the Peace Garden be created within Riverside Press Park at River Street and Memorial Drive. While the landscape will need to be altered somewhat, the park already provides an appropriate setting that should not require major changes. There are two possible locations. The front area which faces Memorial Drive (see first photo below) is recommended. The area in the middle of the park where there is a centerpiece made of a raised circular stone area could provide a beautiful location for the garden (see 2nd photo).

Riverside Press Park prior to the snow. Easily accessible by public buses on River Street and Western Ave. A short walk from Central and Harvard Squares.

Riverside Press Park from the top floor of a high rise building across the street. This picture depicts the circular area in the park, which could be used as part of the peace garden.

Cambridge needs more public toilets. This project addresses a basic human need for the entire community of Central Square. This includes: residents, visitors, international tourists, shoppers,children, bike commuters, homeless, students, and early-morning and late-night patrons of Central Square. According to the "2013 Public Toilets Survey: Cambridge Residents, Workers & Visitors," 67% of those surveyed have reported that they or a family member have had difficulty accessing public toilets in the city. After Harvard Square, which is already in the process of getting a public toilet, the highest need area on city-owned property is Central Square. (http://www.cambridgepublichealth.org/publications/2013-Public-Toilets-Survey-Cambridge-Residents-Workers-&-Visitors--Summary-Report.pdf).

The City shall consider toilet designs such as the Portland Loo and implementation efforts that provide for public safety and public health and are environmentally friendly. Such a toilet should be accompanied by a drinking fountain. The city shall also add and improve signage alerting the public that toilets in public buildings such as City Hall may be accessed by the public.

Raymond Park is located in North Cambridge near the Porter Square train station. Raymond Park is unique in that it is within walking distance of very diverse communities, which is one of the primary reasons why the Park serves as a cultural hub where people from all different backgrounds come together to utilize the structures and space.

Community gardens represent a special type of public space where people from different backgrounds gather and work side by side to create something. However, the community garden at Raymond Park could use a facelift. Sprucing up the community garden through the addition of fencing, a partial retaining wall, landscaping and plantings, and furnishings would revitalize that area of the park and help continue to attract a diverse neighborhood crowd.

Fitness is an important and worthy goal for residents of Cambridge. Moreover, Cambridge is lucky to have excellent parks and green spaces that encourage being outdoors and staying fit. Danehy Park currently provides ample opportunities for children’s play, team sports, and cardiovascular exercise. But the park currently lacks robust equipment for outdoor stretching and exercises for adults. Adding outdoor bodyweight fitness equipment would be an excellent, one-time improvement that would add value to Danehy Park and further encourage exercise and fitness. It would also be an excellent complement for runners and other leisure users of the park.

Placing fitness equipment in the park can encourage people to go outdoors and stay active. Moreover, the social nature of outdoor fitness equipment can also encourage residents to learn more about fitness and teach them how to stretch, exercise, and stay fit. This idea has been implemented in cities throughout the country and it would be great to add it to Cambridge.

Right now, these locations only have outside coverage that is overflow from inside the building, so it’s not necessarily reliable or consistent. IT staff would install special access points (specifically made for outside coverage) at the above locations and define the zone where the public can access free wifi. This would not be full coverage of any one Center’s public outside space, but it would increase the reach of free public wifi for community members who use the youth centers, play on the golf course, and walk near the Water Department.

Convert part of Gore Street Park in East Cambridge into a dog park. There should be a clean area for dogs to run, clear signage to mark the part of the park reserved for dogs and owners, comfortable benches for everyone to enjoy, and water fountains for dogs and owners. The photos below show examples of some of these amenities from a dog park in San Francisco.

The proposal’s costs for the Gore Street Park include a double gate area, a chain link fence around the area, trash barrels, signage, 3 park benches, fixed “dog toys” (tunnel, rocks, etc.), water line, and a drinking fountain.

A small amphitheater in Danehy Park would be environmentally-friendly and great for the City. This project is necessary because the neighborhood needs a place for cultural events, music, and other performances. It will benefit not only the nearby neighborhoods of North and West Cambridge, but the whole City. This project would be an excellent use of the City's money.

This proposal’s costs would include clearing and grubbing, excavation, environmental remediation, four rows of benches, and an accessible path from the nearest walkway to the front row of benches and the performance area. The proposal assumes a location with a natural tier, eliminating costs for grading.

With the increase in biking as a method of commuting and as a recreational activity, this is a civic project that will support bike use and a healthy lifestyle. Locations include:

• Alewife T stop area/Minuteman trail access
• Central Square library (see photo)
• East Cambridge - Valente Library, near Donnelly Field, Mother’s Gold Star Pool Berkshire/Cambridge Streets
• Inman Square - Vellucci Plaza
• Fresh Pond Parkway - entrance at community building
• Memorial Drive area, near Corporal Burns Park or Riverside neighborhood park
• North Point Park - near playground or park entrance
• Porter Square - across from T stop on Somerville Ave.

The City estimates that each repair station will cost $1,500.

This proposal arrived at one of the very first community meetings where citizen input strongly and unanimously agreed on the need to preserve neighborhood identity. Participants also discussed the promotion and awareness of the many neighborhood commercial areas as one can easily pass by in a cross-town commute. Wayfinding banners will help to distinguish locations for the community and its visitors.

Discussion and input for design for locations include the 13 neighborhoods defined in the Community Development Department’s “Cambridge Neighborhoods” map (see image), or “C2, H2, I1, K2, P2, East Cambridge, Huron Village, North Point, Observatory Hill, and Wellington Harrington.”

Design and installation of each banner is estimated at $200. 6 banners per area for 13 areas comes to $15,600 total for this project.

Cambridge is soon to embrace a bold bicycle network plan that envisions our city’s built environment with a seamless network of safe, protected, and convenient bikeways. The number one priority ahead of connecting major shopping and employment centers was making sure that children could bike safely to their public or private school. A master plan like this is visionary and should inspire all our residents, but infrastructure is only one part of the equation that yields equitable, safe, and convenient transportation choices. Education is another part of the equation, so in order for our children to use this bikeway network one day, we need to teach them how to navigate it by walking, biking, and driving. A Dutch style Traffic Garden would serve all children of Cambridge and Boston metro through either their school curriculum or on weekends under their parent’s guidance. The location would be best when proximal to low-income or underserved populations that have limited mobility options. We propose that the Traffic Garden be located in East Cambridge.

“In the Dutch city of Utrecht, kids start learning about traffic safety long before they prepare for a driver's license. And not just ‘look both ways before you cross the street.’ The school curriculum includes regular field trips to the local ‘traffic garden.’ The City of Utrecht has used this facility, a streetscape in miniature, to teach kids the rules of the road since the 1950s. Students take turns as cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers, learning how to take other types of street users into consideration. The hands-on experience navigating the traffic garden gives kids the skills and confidence to get around the city under their own power as soon as their early teens” (Streetfilms.org).

This project entails the repair, redesign, and renovation of the deteriorated bus shelter at Comeau Field on Rindge Avenue in North Cambridge where the #83 bus turnaround is located.

Acrylic or plexiglass glass panels will be installed where they have been removed (please see two photo examples below). These new panels will have design elements consisting of small cut-outs in the forms of people in active recreation typical of the area -- swimming, baseball, football -- evocative of, among other things, the swimming hole history of Jerry's Pit, the former brickyards industry clay pit, immediately adjacent to the bus shelter. Some support beams will be removed from across the front of the existing shelter and the bench protruding at one end will either be modified, or restored as is.

A flat or 3-D sculptural element or elements will be mounted on the roof of the shelter,which will consist of one or more animals -- birds, for example -- appropriate to thishabitat, with possibly a human figure or figures, such as a bather or bathers, perhapswith a festive umbrella, also evocative of the recreational history, and current uses, ofthe area.

Residents and users in the immediate neighborhood will be invited to participate inconsidering, reviewing, and developing these design proposals as the project is moved along toward final completion.

The estimated cost includes materials, labor, installation, and design assistance.

Real time bus arrival monitors with digital displays at bus shelters let everyone know when the bus is coming. This is critical information because buses are often late and not everyone owns a smartphone. Real time arrival monitors allow people to budget their time and will enhance the use of public transportation. We chose Inman Square to be a pilot project for the city. It is the only major commercial square without a T stop. This will serve people who are frustrated with late buses as well as those who do not have smartphones.

The Community Learning Center (CLC) is located at 5 Western Avenue in Cambridge. The CLC has 630 adult students enrolled at this time, the majority in ESOL studies to improve their English skills and some students pursuing a High School Equivalency Diploma. Students at the CLC use the center's laptop computers to develop their skills and knowledge. The CLC currently has approximately 18 Dell laptop computers and 12 very old ThinkPads and is seeking to increase the number of laptops available to students.

Specifically, this project would provide CLC students with 20 Dell laptop computers (model 654), 20 Dell optical keyboards (model 331-9597), 20 Dell mice (model 330-9456), and 1 storage cart (model A6877841).

The furniture at the O’Connell library is quite worn down. This proposal would provide the library with new tables, chairs, computer workstations, and couches.

The library receives significant traffic, checking out approximately 51,000 books per year and hosting 400 programs annually. Because the library is a hub of activity for young people, especially school and daycare groups, the project includes several new tables and chairs for toddlers, as well as a loveseat for parents and children to read together. Several residents proposed using participatory budgeting funds to make improvements to the O’Connell library, and purchasing this furniture would liven up the library for years to come.

Cambridge is a multilingual city with more than 32% of families speaking a language other than English at home. Children of these families have limited access to bilingual books in their first languages, which include Amharic, Haitian Creole, Bengali, Punjabi, Russian, Chinese, and about 25 other languages. Having books available in parents’ native languages allows parents who are not fluent in English to read to their children in the language they speak best. Research shows that talking and reading to children in the home language helps children’s language and literacy development as they get ready for school.

Literacy Ambassadors (multi-lingual, multicultural parents) from the Cambridge Public Health Agenda for Children’s Literacy Initiative will bring the books to families participating in this early literacy program through home visits, parent workshops, and at StoryWalks and other Cambridge community events during the year.

This proposal would fund the purchase of 300-350 additional bilingual books for Cambridge children age 0-7 years who are learning English, learning to read, and have limited or no access to books in their home language.

Unlike other parts of Cambridge, North Cambridge does not have many mural installations. The mural would be installed at Russell Field, which is an important community amenity that is used by students and Cambridge’s Recreation Department throughout the year. If selected, the Cambridge Arts Council will oversee the implementation of the mural project. The Cambridge Arts Council will conduct an artist selection process as well as a community feedback process which will involve residents and local community organizations. The funds will cover the artist fee, the artist selection process, site preparation, and conservation and maintenance. Throughout the process, from the design to the implementation, the project will provide opportunities for community engagement and participation.

Front of Russell Fieldhouse

Sides of Russel Fieldhouse

Murals in Cambridge

Have you seen the cardboard box on the sidewalk with a FREE sign? Somehow books placed in those boxes find good homes. Image a drier and more kempt way to exchange your books. Enter Little Free Libraries where you can take a book, leave a book, and share a book. Placing a well-designed, waterproof container in each of the neighborhoods of Cambridge will improve the friendliness of the streetscape or park and possibly lead to sharing and more interactions. There are currently four little free libraries on Cambridge streets and they are well used and loved by their neighbors. Each has a magically changing selection of books for all ages. Cambridge has a reputation as one of the most well-read cities in the United State so there will be no shortage of books to exchange.

This proposal is to site 13 “little free libraries” in each of the 13 Cambridge neighborhoods, ideally in a passive park or near a street with a lot of foot traffic. Each of the neighborhoods could choose their own location or a city-wide committee could choose locations. Dog parks and community gardens are also a good place to site a little library because of the constant activity. Attaching a smaller waterproof box alongside the post of the library could serve as a place for community announcements and information exchanges. This is a project which would support literacy, community engagement, and fun throughout the streets of our city.

The cost includes purchase of well-made ready to go libraries from the nonprofit Little Free Library in Hudson, WI and DPW installation on City property.