A Day in Charlestown

Adopted on September 28, 2023, by the BPDA Board, PLAN: Charlestown was a four-year Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) initiative shaped by extensive community engagement. The plan identified neighborhood needs and proposed strategies including improving services, rezoning industrial areas to allow more housing and retail, and establishing urban design guidelines for both the former industrial district and the Original Peninsula. Our team was tasked with making the plan accessible to younger audiences. We created a comic book that presented the plan through two narratives: a single father picking up his young son from daycare and experiencing the benefits of an improved urban environment, and a first-generation American teenager living in affordable housing while attending community college. This visual storytelling approach distilled complex planning proposals into an engaging, accessible format for residents of all ages.