Seaport Square Master Plan
Boston, Massachusetts

Commissioned by WS Development and completed in 2017, the Seaport Square Master Plan transforms 23 acres of former industrial land into a dense, urban district designed around walkability, diversity of use, and a carefully integrated public realm. This re-envisioned master plan introduces 7.7 million square feet of development, incorporating residences, offices, retail, civic uses, hotels, and cultural destinations within a highly legible and connected framework.

The project responds to the area’s rapid evolution from warehouses and surface parking into a major innovation district. With 13 acres of undeveloped land remaining at the project’s inception, the plan establishes a stronger urban identity through massing strategies, pedestrian circulation, and programming that encourages day to night activity.

Harbor Way, a tree lined pedestrian spine, anchors the site. It extends from the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), creating a public corridor punctuated by plazas and amenity spaces. The plan allocates 39% of its total area to pedestrian only open space, promoting alternative mobility options and contributing to a more human scaled experience across the district.

A central organizing element, Harbor Square, acts as a landmark urban room, its geometry and programmatic density shaping a distinctive civic core. The site is designed to stitch together fragmented urban conditions and improve connections between the Financial District, Fort Point Channel, and Fan Pier, establishing a continuous and active urban fabric along Boston’s waterfront.

The resulting master plan not only enhances the livability and permeability of the Seaport but positions it as a next generation urban environment shaped by long term development goals and contextual responsiveness.