Public Projects and Citizen Participation: The Challenge of Coordinating Meaningful Public Involvement Over Time

Abstract

Consensus to proceed with Boston’s Big Dig Project was only reached after the Commonwealth agreed to perform a long list of mitigation measures to satisfy the objectives of numerous interest groups. To ensure that those measures would be imple­mented and to avoid project-stopping litigation, the Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee was formed. Its work over the last fourteen years is a unique blend of lawyering and leadership. For the redevelopment of the surface above the downtown portions of the Project, the Mayor’s Central Artery Completion Task Force was created to implement neighborhood task forces to work with park and building designers and to coordinate the neighborhood views with the interests of regional park, transit, tourism, and similar groups. The results of the Task Force’s work over the last six years will soon be seen as the parks and civic structures are built.