Co-Creating Boston's Future-Decker: Contributions and Lessons Learned

A culmination of the multi-year initiative exploring the future of multifamily housing in Boston’s neighborhoods.

Boston is a city where historic structures and modern innovations intersect, and the question of how we design and build housing has profound implications for the future. The Co-Creating Boston’s Future-Decker initiative explored this question, drawing inspiration from Boston’s iconic triple-decker to envision new models of multifamily housing that reflect the needs of today’s residents while looking toward tomorrow’s possibilities.

Through this initiative, community members, designers, and developers have come together to reimagine the potential of the triple-decker, considering affordability, accessibility, and sustainability in their proposals. This exhibition celebrates the thoughtful responses and proposals submitted during the Request for Ideas (RFI) and Request for Proposals (RFP) phases, offering a glimpse into the innovative solutions that could shape Boston’s future housing landscape.

The Future-Decker: Contributions & Lessons Learned exhibition brings together both virtual and physical displays of these proposals, providing a platform for reflection on the initiative’s impact and the lessons learned along the way. Visitors will explore a range of creative concepts, each aimed at addressing Boston’s ongoing housing challenges. The exhibition will also highlight the collaborative process behind these proposals and foster continued dialogue among those committed to rethinking housing in the city.

Learn from the journey of collaboration and discovery, and be part of the conversation to help shape the future of housing in Boston.

The exhibition will be open for viewing at the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) from December 30th, 2024 – January 31st, 2025. Come see the possibilities for the future of Boston’s housing landscape and share your thoughts with others who are passionate about creating vibrant, sustainable communities for all.

Thank you to our partners:

The Boston Foundation, Boston’s Housing Innovation Lab, Mayor’s Office of Housing, Kuehn Charitable Foundation

Exhibition designed by Edward Malouf and Joelle Riffle.