Chinatown

Where better to explore "family in the city" but one of Boston's oldest, most vibrant family-oriented neighborhoods?

From the bustling streets beneath the Chinatown Gate to the serenity of Berkeley Street Community Gardens, Chinatown is a rich urban treasure. Its residents know this and have a little-recognized but significant history of civic leadership, preserving their rich legacy and planning a bright future.

This one-day festival couldn't hope to introduce all that this thriving enclave offers, though we hope it will spark your curiosity and lead you to learn more about its history and culture, cuisine, or cutting-edge urban development.

All events are free and open to the public. Some events may require pre-registration. Email chinatown@commonboston.org for pre-registration.

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Click on other Common Point titles in the menu bar to view events happening at those locations. Check back soon for updates!

June 18th

• Forum: "Cities for Families: Designing Boston for Every Generation"
  6:30PM-8PM Josiah Quincy School, 885 Washington Street (Google map)
  -Tom Keane, Moderator - former Boston City Councilor, columnist for the Boston Globe
  -Lou Casagrande - President of Boston Children’s Museum
  -Shauna Gillies-Smith - Founding Principal of Ground
  -Susan Silberberg-Robinson - MIT DUSP lecturer and urban design/planning consultant
  -Madeleine Steczynski – Executive Director, Zumix
  -Chris Reed - Founding Principal of Stoss landscape architecture
  

June 21st

• Berkeley Street Community Gardens Audio Tour: self-guided
  Most people think of Chinatown as tall buildings and narrow streets - but gardens have long been a central part of life there. This garden tour, narrated by Sarah Hutt, explores the role of the gardens in the community and the larger city. Production provided by Audissey Guides.
  NOTE: Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, Audissey is unable to provide this audio tour guide at this time. Please check back in the future as it may be posted at a later time.
  
  
• A-VOYCE Chinatown Walking Tours by the Asian CDC youth group: 11:00 AM. Meets a 38 Oak Street (Google map)
  Learn about the origin, community struggles and activism, and continuing legacy of this immigrant neighborhood. As residents and community workers, A-VOYCE youth guides and Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) staff know the back alleys and the hidden stories, cluing you into issues of community, education, activism, and culture. pre-registration is encouraged; space is limited.
  
  
• Food Tour with Nadine Nelson: 12:00 NOON. Meets at the Chinatown Gate (Google map)
  Local culinary expert Nadine Nelson shares her insights into Chinatown's rich food culture, complete with dim sum.
  LIMITED SPACE. This tour is full.



• Parcel 24 and the Future of Housing in Chinatown, with self-guided tour: 1:00 PM. Meets at 38 Oak Street (Google map)
  Housing in Chinatown is a problem: as the community has improved its safety and appeal, the city has gentrified, pushing land values beyond what residents can afford. The ACDC has led the effort to give the community access to new construction. Hear a variety of solutions from ACDC Real Estate Project Manager Janelle Chan, and follow the self-guided tour to each location.
  
  
• Participatory Chinatown: 2:00 PM. Meets at 38 Oak Street (Google map)
  Recent recipient of a MacArthur Prize, this innovative approach to mediating developent's effect within the neighborhood seeks to give residents the tools to capitalize on growth as it happens.
  
  
• Project Place: 3:00 PM. Meets at Project Place, 1145 Washington Street (Google map)
  
  
  Project Place is a supportive community that promotes hope and opportunity for homeless and low-income individuals by providing the skills, education and resources to obtain stable employment and housing. Located in the South End for over 30 years, the organization moved into their new sustainable building, Gatehouse, in order to expand the capacity of their programming and social enterprises and to provide affordable, permanent housing for those in need. David Tabenken of Hacin + Associates will conduct a tour of Gatehouse, and Gordie Calkins of Heading Home will open the tour with a discussion of Housing First policy.
  
  
  pre-registration is encouraged.
  
  
  

• Chinatown's New Gate: 3:00 PM. Meets at the Chinatown gate. (Google map)
  Learn about the process of designing Chinatown's presence on Boston's premiere green space, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, in the form of the New Chinatown Gate. Landscape architects from Carol R. Johnson Associates, the site's prime consultants, will lead a tour.

Be sure to check out the events of the Chinatown Main Streets Festival, taking place the 21st as well!