When the Town of Boxborough hired MAPC to update its master plan, I asked: what if the entire plan is an online document, with only a magazine-style summary made available in print? The intent was to make the plan more accessible to residents and town officials, and to offer a resource that would always be readily available for reference. The Boxborough Planning Board agreed to this approach and MAPC worked with the town’s web hosting consultant to create a subsite on the town’s web domain. This approach was different from the Downtown Lynn project I led, where MAPC hosted the project website on its own domain and I created the design from scratch. Working within the town’s existing site presented some limitations with respect to design, but it allowed the town to retain control over the site throughout the project, which for the purposes of this project was a better solution in the long-run. Ultimately, this website was coupled with both the magazine-style summary and an additional recommendation and implementation steps document.
MAPC had two major public events for Boxborough2030. The kickoff for the project was held in November 2014 at Town Hall and approximately 100 participants attended. In June 2015, MAPC and Boxborough Master Plan Update Committee members hosted a booth at the town’s Fifer’s Day festival. This booth featured opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate, and we collected input from over 150 visitors.
November 2014 Project Kickoff
June 2015 Fifer’s Day Booth
Plan delivered as web-based e-book
