Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2004. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-130). / Lawrence, Massachusetts is one of a number of post-industrial cities in the northeastern United States that has the potential to convert underutilized industrial buildings into a valuable community asset, namely housing. Yet, despite a plentiful supply of historical industrial buildings, the increasing popularity of residential mill conversions, and a strong housing market in eastern Massachusetts, no mill has been converted for the purpose of housing in Lawrence in the last decade. This thesis argues that if mill owners take action and partner with developers to undertake redevelopment, and partner with community development organizations and the local government, key barriers to development in Lawrence could be dismantled in order to prepare the mill district for redevelopment. Targeted primarily at mill owners and community development organizations in Lawrence and similar cities, this thesis identifies key barriers to residential redevelopment that exist in untested residential conversion markets like Lawrence. It then provides recommended solutions to overcome those barriers, learned from other conversion projects within a 50 mile radius of Boston. In doing so, this thesis demystifies the development process to help mill owners and community development organizations acquire a more realistic vision for the redevelopment of the mill district. In the process, it also gives mill owners a better understanding of their options in terms of whether to sell or partner with a developer and describes how community development organizations may contribute to the mill district's redevelopment. From this research, two main conclusions are drawn. First, development in the mill district must be approached with cautious optimism -- the prospect for success is high due to current market conditions and grassroots efforts, yet so is the risk. Professional developers will likely need to be involved in redevelopment, either on their own or as partners with mill owners. This is because the risk of residential redevelopment in the mill district is high in comparison to similar projects in other cities, and the margin between achievable prices and costs is tight. An experienced developer with significant financial resources and a proven track record needs to participate to increase the probability of success, and to magnify the benefits of redevelopment for mill owners, the community, and future residents of the mill district. The second and final conclusion is that mill owners, developers, local government, and community development organizations need to continue the precedent for collaboration set forth by participatory planning efforts like the Reviviendo Gateway Initiative, a community development coalition. In doing so, Lawrence's mill district will distinguish itself from mill conversions in other cities. Collaboration should be directed to marketing to cultural creatives, a marketing term that includes people who may be interested in such areas as the arts, co-housing, green building, and social activism. Marketing to these groups will generate demand for housing in the mill district, and ensure that the mills become home to residents who will become socially and financially invested in the city. Collaborative efforts should also continue to follow the path established by other Lawrence efforts, which is one of resident involvement. By involving residents in the planning process, as well as by helping current residents purchase or rent in the mill district, current Lawrence residents will be prepared to enjoy the success of the mill district's redevelopment. In the long term, this approach could create a major turnaround in Lawrence and build an initiative that helps the city emerge again as a regional cultural center. / by Heather Clark. / S.M.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/26713 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Clark, Heather, 1978- |
| Contributors | Lorlene Hoyt., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. |
| Publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Source Sets | M.I.T. Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 130 leaves, 1588598 bytes, 1674516 bytes, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Coverage | n-us-ma |
| Rights | M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 |
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