Sustainable 'Smart City' Near Boston Aims To Be 100% Green

As science develops and offers better innovations, municipalities around the world are looking for ways to retrofit their cities with new technologies. One group of developers decided to sidestep the issue by creating a “smart city” from the ground up. As the first city of its kind in the Northeast, Union Point is designed to harness clean power and be energy efficient. 

This sustainable urban development is 12 miles south of Boston, and 42 miles northeast of Providence. With an on-site commuter rail station, Union Point residents can be in Boston within a 20-minute train ride. Phase I is designed to create a walkable city environment spanning 450,000 square feet.

If you’re wondering how this much space near a major city was just laying around, there’s a simple answer to that. The site was once the location of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station. Three metropolitan hubs, Weymouth, Abington, and Rockland, surround the development. As one can imagine, the three towns are open to the prospect of new housing and jobs in the area. Rockland’s town administrator told Huffington Post, “We all know this could be an economic dynamo for the region.” As the construction continues along, four thousand private residences will take root in the area.  

The plan also includes about eight million square feet of commercial space. The futuristic city is planning to offer a mix of food and shopping by blending name brand stores with artisans and smaller groups. Some high tech perks will include a state of the art movie theatre, a performing arts venue, and sports district.

Much of the technology will be operated by smart software systems to monitor all the lighting, heating, and air conditioning. The developers are keeping in mind the continually changing nature of technology to make sure the city's developments do not become obsolete. 

Green initiatives, such as 50 miles of hiking and biking trails, round out the city’s ambitious design. Sustainable energy usage is at the forefront of the project, and many of the commercial buildings are designed to meet LEED Gold or Platinum Standards. Rooftop solar energy will fuel many of the buildings and as technology progresses the city will be able to wean itself off of the local power grid. While the complete transition away from fossil fuels is not currently possible on every level, the city is determined to work towards that goal with built-in adaptable energy systems. Union Point is hoping to run just on clean energy in the near future. 

In the meantime, the real estate development firm behind the project, LStar Ventures, is hoping to bring in groups that are environmentally sensitive and tech savvy. One such target is Amazon, which is currently looking to spend about $5 billion to expand its second headquarters. The group estimates that the average person that can afford a home at Union Point will have a household income at around $104,000.With accommodations for electric vehicles and hundreds of miles of open space, Union Point seems a promising a town for any eco-conscious person or business.