Austin Street

Newtonville, Massachusetts

Austin Street Plaza is part of a mixed-use project located in Newtonville. The site was previously a parking lot and has been converted into a mixed-income housing and retail building. Bracketed by coffee shops on both sides is a vibrant public plaza and shared street.  

The public plaza was designed to give visitors a quiet gathering space away from the street and busy retail, while also being able to host small scale events. Dynamic shaped concrete benches create pockets of space surrounded by colourful planting.

The project exemplifies the Dutch concept of woonerf, a “living street”, a shared space for both people and vehicles. Austin Street Plaza has become a main gathering point for daily life and public events in the area, like hosting Newton’s seasonal Village Concert Series.

LOCATION
Newtonville, MA

CLIENT
Austin Street Partners

ARCHITECT
Stantec

FACILITY
Multi-family Housing

STATUS
Completed 2021

SCOPE
Landscape Architecture