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A Parkway is Not a Road. It’s A Park With A Road On It.​

The Memorial Drive Alliance is a group of Boston-based environmentalists, tree stewards, dog owners, cyclists, pedestrians, runners, city officials and members of prominent local community organizations. We have a shared goal of making the Memorial Drive Parkway a beautiful, safe, resilient, and vibrant green corridor for the enjoyment of many generations to come. The above rendering is our vision of what kind of a park Memorial Drive could be instead of the defacto highway that it is.

The Commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Recreation is actively planning a section of the park through their Memorial Drive Phase III project. We've come together to make sure this once in a generation opportunity serves us better now and makes us more climate resilient in the future.
The Memorial Drive Alliance consists of:
  • Bike Harvard
  • Boston Cyclists Union
  • Cambridge City Councillors, Vice Mayor Jan Devereux and Quinton Zondervan
  • Cambridge Committee on Public Planting
  • Cambridge Bicycle Safety
  • Cambridge Urban Forestry Task Force
  • Charles River Conservancy
  • Friends of Memorial Drive
  • Green Cambridge
  • Harvard Square Neighborhood Association
  • LivableStreets Alliance
  • Longwood Area Cyclists
  • Mothers Out Front
  • People for Riverbend Park Trust
  • 350 Cambridge - Somerville
  • Sierra Club MA

Our Two Asks

Replace two travel lanes on Memorial Drive with a protected bi-directional bike path.

 The extent of pavement should be reduced, not expanded, wherever possible, throughout the study
area to avoid impacts to existing landscape. Both the riverfront path and the sidewalk on the north side of Memorial Drive to be designated for pedestrian use only.​

Plant new trees wherever there are gaps

 Maximize canopy cover to shade walkways and bicycle lanes. Develop a comprehensive landscape plan that includes protection and ongoing care for existing trees, establishes numerous additional tree plantings that are carefully selected and maintained and provides for optimal soil conditions throughout.​

Rethink the space toward climate resilience and beauty, not as a transportation corridor for vehicles.

You or Your Organization Can Join Us!

Does your organization or institution use Memorial Drive in any way? Do you care about its future, including its existing historic Sycamore trees? Do you live in a neighborhood along Memorial Drive that will likely see large scale flooding as a result of climate change and extreme weather? Join us by emailing info@greencambridge.org!