Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Sense of Place Quiz for Boston

In honor of Jane's Walk this past weekend, held around the world to explore the kind of great urban neighborhoods celebrated by Jane Jacobs, whose seminal The Death and Life of Great American Cities was published 50 years ago, herewith a test of knowledge of the Boston area:
1. At what spot are there are four layers of transportation possible, one on top of the other -- a boat on water, a train on tracks, pedestrians, bicycles and cars on a roadway, and an aircraft in the sky?
2. The Massachusetts Avenue connector and Melnea Cass Boulevard form the beginning of what was to be the Inner Belt, an expressway that would have provided an alternate route around the Central Artery. What is the other evidence of the Inner Belt, still in place today?
3. Where is Scott Harshbarger Square? (Not a trick question)
4. Kendall Square was the site of the first telephone call and a booming tech center, home to Microsoft and Google. Back in the days of John F. Kennedy's administration, what was originally supposed to go there?
5. What city is the densest city in the Commonwealth?
6. What town famously refused to be annexed by the City of Boston, and in what year?
7. Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace was originally intended to loop back around down what street, ending where?
8. The Rose Kennedy Greenway is littered with unbuilt dreams, from the botanical gardens at Dewey Square to the YMCA. What is the only public building to actually start construction?
9. What is the area north of Charles Street in Beacon Hill known as?
10. Where in Cambridge can the view to the Charles River never be obstructed -- from the front door of what house?
Write your responses in the comment section. Answers in a forthcoming post.