A Decent Place to Live: From Columbia Point to Harbor Point: A Community History

by Jane Roessner

"A Decent Place to Live" chronicles the rise, fall, and rebirth of Columbia Point—a Boston housing project built in in the early 1950s for working-class families. By the mid-1970s, the model community had disintegrated and become a symbol of failure, danger, and decay. Redeveloped as Harbor Point, the complex was reborn in 1988 as a successful mixed-income, racially diverse community. Told through the voices of those who struggled to make a life there, and battled to rebuild their community, "A Decent Place to Live" offers important lessons for urban planners and policymakers nationwide.

332 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2000

Reviews

[hey · Rating 4 out of 5]

more enjoyable than color of law. super interesting. unfortunately on my exam

[Eduardo Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book on super niche local Boston history. A great case study of what urban renewal was supposed to be about and how it can be done going forward.