Sharing ‘the wisdom of Boston’
A town hall meeting with Boston Mayor-elect Marty Walsh, well-supported by Harvard affiliates, broke into 11 idea-generating sessions on Saturday, focusing on various issues facing the city, from public safety to schools to housing and economic opportunity. The event was coordinated by the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). The goal of the meeting, held at Roxbury Community College’s Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, was described by moderator and Rappaport Director Edward Glaeser as sharing “the wisdom of Boston” with the mayor-elect, who Glaeser suggested would be “the most inclusive mayor that I could possibly imagine.” Seven of the sessions were facilitated by members of the Harvard community. Each facilitator presented the session’s recommendations to Walsh in an afternoon meeting attended by about 1,000 people and moderated by Glaeser, who also facilitated the economic development session. Of his own session, Glaeser mentioned “one overriding theme: the benefits [of development] have not...