Events
Special Public Program
Through the Heartland on U.S. 20
A slideshow lecture by Bill and Mary Lewis
Thursday, May 22, 2014
7:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Have you ever driven across the country on a two-lane highway and attempted to recapture the romance from half a century ago? No? Well, meet two authors who have! Join us in welcoming Bill and Mary Lewis, authors of Through the Heartland on U.S. 20: Massachusetts: A Historical Travel Guide. They will share info on the development of the road, various towns' historic events, people of renown who lived there, things to do and see and the best restaurants.
Presented jointly by the Historical Society of Watertown and The Watertown Free Public Library.
This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.
Annual Members Meeting with Election of Officers and May Public Program
The Hub's Metropolis: Greater Boston's Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth
A slideshow lecture by author James C. O'Connell based on his book of the same title
Thursday, May 8, 2014
7:00 PM Annual Members Meeting
7:15 PM May Public Program
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
The Hub's Metropolis is the first comprehensive historical overview of Boston's suburban development, from the earliest country estates to suburban sprawl and the smart growth movement. This book provides historical context for understanding the region's contemporary planning efforts that are addressing the challenges of low-density sprawl, climate change and the global information age economy. It explains how each era of suburbanization produced a distrinctive land use development pattern and describes how Boston has been a national pace-setter in this area.
Jim O'Connell is a planner for the Boston Regional Office of the National Park Service. He earned a B.A. from Bates College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Urban History from the University of Chicago. He has written five books and many articles on planning and New England history. His books include Becoming Cape Cod, Creating a Seaside Resort and The Pioneer Valley Reader. Jim served as Economic Development Officer of the Cape Cod Commission and worked on urban redevelopment in Springfield, MA. He is chair of the Massachusetts Zoning Reform Working Group and has taught Smart Growth Planning in the Sustainable Design Program of the Boston Architectural College.
This meeting and program are free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.