Client
City of Boston Public Facilities Department & Boston Public Schools
Program
MSBA feasibility study for a new elementary school, about 16 months
Design Team
Skanska, Arrowstreet, Studio Luz, MLP Integrated Design
Studio Role
Community engagement lead, architecture & urban planning [fpo]
120+
parents and students at a single, back-to-school event; 3 languages with 48 parent surveys collected.
01: The Challenge
One school community,
three candidate sites.
Hear from very young students, busy families and teachers across an upper and lower campus, and from neighbors, while three sites are still open
02: Listening First
Starting with the educators and the neighbors.
Questions that return value, earning trust early in the process, and a shared vision were the result of understanding the place before we consult it.
03: Engagement Strategy
Six sessions across a 16-month study
Timeline of sessions
01: June 18
Field Day
02: August 8
Mattapan Unity 5k
03: August 26
Back-to-school
04: [Date ? Sep 24]
Design options update community meeting
05: [DATE TBD]
Design values workshop
06: [DATE TBD]
Design with Us
04: meeting people where they are
Three pop-ups at places people already go.
Increased engagement and reduced friction by understanding the community and reaching people where they already are.
Where we showed up
Pop-ups and neighborhood events like the Roxbury Sunflower Project Garden Party at the Freedom House.
How people could join
Virtual advisory meeting with registration. Calendar downloads for every event. Email signup for updates and surveys. Language and accessibility measures.
Field Day
Jun 18, 2026 • Walker Playground
70 K-2 students, teachers, and parents. Guided activities led by the design team and Boston Public Schools.
Mattapan Unity 5k
Aug 8, 2026 • Ryan's Playground
60+ engaged of 300+ attending. A booth staffed by the design team, Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston.
Popsicles with the Principals
Aug 26, 2026 • Both School Campuses
120+ parents and students. Surveys, activity boards, verbal feedback and a doodle station.
05: Running the Events
Three kinds of meetings for three audiences
We facilitated different types of meetings to support various audiences. The results were efficiency for the team and productivity for the participants.
Community Advisory Committee
Workshop • Jan 23, 2024
We ran…
Impact Advisory Group
Virtual • Oct 17, 2024
A presentation, then Q&A from the group, and comments from the public.
Article 80 Public Meeting
Public Meeting • Oct 21, 2024
We ran…
06: Community voices
What we heard from the neighbors
We learned an abundance from the community during our Q&A sessions.
Q&A
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Gloria, Roxbury Community Leader
07: Input to Design
More than documentation.
The proof that engagement influences design.
These are the key inputs that led to changes in our design decisions.
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08: The Project Website
A single source of truth and living documentation during the project. And, a historical resource following completion.
We designed and built a website for the project, 639warren.org, where residents, officials and project teams follow the process, and where people can actively participate.
01 - Launch
Overview, team, contact, signup
02 - Listen
Event notices, registration, surveys
03 - Report Back
Recpas, findings, context research
04 - Reviews
Filings, hearing dates, how to comment
05 - Completion
Becomes historical record of the process
Who the website serves
We designed and built the website to communicate progress, events, and decisions to everyone from the public to investors.
Residents & Families
Find the next event, comment and participate, and view the project’s history.
Public Officials
Filings, meeting dates, links to formal reviews, and other informational needs
Investors & Funders
Program facts, events, and review the milestones
Project Team
Team, partners, consultants, and contacts all in one place
Inside the Website
Below is an overview of the content and information featured on the website.
Home
Overview, recent updates, engagement progress, registration
About the Team
Get to know the team behind the project
Documents & Updates
Track updates and view documents and other resources
History of the Site
Trace the history of the land from its origins to today.
Events
View upcoming or past events, register and participate
What we posted, and why
Fewer rumors and repeat questions, with officials and the public working from the same facts.
Formal Milestones
Filings and how to comment. Shows the public how they can weigh in.
Research
The history of the site. Builds a shared starting point.
Meeting Presentations
Workshop decks. Lets people who missed it catch up and stay informed.
Event Notices & Registration
One place to find every meeting and join it.
09: Data & Outcomes
The project in numbers
63
homes planned
54:9
rental to homeowner
2,000
retail square footage
4
projects with 1/4 mile
896
unique attendees
96%
success rate
Visit the project website
Planning a project that needs real community input? We can help you facilitate and design the process from research to engagement.