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[last update June 2021]

Residents have long been leading planning and development in Upham’s Corner, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. In the 1970s, community stakeholders saved the Strand Theater. In the 1980s, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) established its community land trust. Since 2012, the Fairmount Cultural Corridor partners have been using arts and creative engagements to build a sense of place and belonging in Upham’s Corner. And in 2017 the City of Boston launched the Upham’s Corner Implementation Process to revitalize Upham’s Corner into an arts and innovation district.

This latest planning process is unique because the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI)’s land trust (Dudley Neighbors Inc – DNI) acquired a former bank building in the district and has been co-facilitating the planning process with City of Boston, which owns several other key redevelopment sites. This project is a major focus for neighborhood-based planning in Boston and a pilot for promoting development without displacement.

In December 2020, DSNI is moving forward with a community process for redeveloping the DNI Community Building in coordination with the City’s process. DSNI is planning a series of community meetings where DSNI/DNI leaders, residents, artists, business owners, and partners are invited to share ideas and feedback to help shape the future of the DNI Community Building. For more information about how to participate, please see the DNI Redevelopment Process page.


This website was assembled by an action research team from the Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning program at Tufts University and the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. It shares information about this planning process: a case study, timeline of the process, stakeholder map, and research findings.

We hope that this serves as a resource for anyone looking to get involved or learn more about the Upham’s Corner Implementation Process.

This website is based on research funded by the Office of Research and Evaluation at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) under Grant No. 18REHMA001 through the Community Conversations research grant competition. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, CNCS.