By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

In the last decade, we have seen some incredible transformations across the city, from the new neighborhood springing up in Assembly Square, to construction for the new Green Line station in Union Square, to the addition of bike lanes and improved streetscapes citywide. Until recently, East Somerville has waited for similar transformative projects to help boost its notoriety as one of the best regional gems for local business and cuisine. At last, East Somerville’s time is now.

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the transformation of the neighborhood, already underway, with a ribbon cutting at the new Chuckie Harris Park and with a tour of the East Broadway Streetscape project. The remarkable transformation of Harris Park from a concrete lot into a dynamic space, along with the ongoing renovation of lower Broadway into an urban boulevard, is a microcosm of our community’s evolution as we revitalize neighborhoods for families and businesses alike.

I’ve been to a lot of groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings as the city has renovated or built more than 25 parks or open spaces in the last seven years, but I cannot recall ever seeing a turnout like the crowds at the ribbon cutting for Chuckie Harris Park. WBUR called Chuckie Harris Park a “quiet revolution in play design,” but it was anything but quiet at the ribbon cutting ceremony.  Kids laughing and running up the park’s “mountain” to shoot down the slide, running under the rain-style water-wall feature—which doubles as a movie screen—and taking a ride on the swings said as much, if not more, than anything I and other public officials had to say.

The ongoing reconstruction of East Broadway continues another revolution underway in Somerville, creating an environment that’s healthy for residents and the business community alike.  When complete, the city will have installed 43 attractive new benches, 20 bike racks, many new lamp posts and, yes, even some pretty nice looking trash bins. That’s alongside the 138 new street trees that will transform lower Broadway into an attractive boulevard where the community will want to spend more time gathering, dining, shopping, or simply taking in the street life from a favorite bench. We want to bring visitors to this neighborhood, and a new road design that favors short trips over long trips will make East Broadway a destination, not a cut-through for I-93.

We’re reclaiming East Broadway for our community, and we are reclaiming it for all residents. All of our policy decisions are made with an eye on promoting accessibility for active living. Every sidewalk, ramp and crosswalk will be fully ADA compliant so that everyone can enjoy East Broadway regardless of their physical abilities.

East Broadway will also continue our commitment to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure as well as mass transit. We have already earned recognition as the 10th most walkable city and 8th most bikeable city in the nation, but we won’t be satisfied until we’re number one. We have seen the impact of these investments. By our counts, biking is up 56 percent over the past two years in Somerville. And this reconstruction project will make it easier for bikers and pedestrians to commute to work without a car, to get to the T at either Sullivan Square or the new Green Line stations in Gilman Square and at Washington Street.

Improved pedestrian infrastructure, revitalized bike-friendly streetscapes, parks and all other amenities for active living is not just social infrastructure, however. It is economic infrastructure, helping encourage private investment and business development. Businesses are on board because these improvements increase the foot traffic that’s so essential for local businesses to thrive. That also attracts developers, who see a vibrant, active city with bustling streets filled not with faces seen through car windows, but out walking or biking.

I thank each and every business on East Broadway for their patience and cooperation during this project. And I want to remind everyone to support these businesses during construction to help reduce the impact the construction will have on them. Remind your friends and family too and together as a community, we can keep East Broadway thriving right until ribbon-cutting day.

This area is sure to thrive because we are creating a sustainable city by fostering wellbeing, creating a healthier workforce, and leveraging those resources to drive the economic development necessary to sustain them. Renowned restaurateurs, developers and executives have already recognized East Somerville’s potential and new restaurants and businesses have cropped up over the last several months, and I expect much more to come as East Broadway’s reconstruction comes to completion in 2015.

We are re-painting the canvas of East Somerville and creating new spaces and places and ways for us to all come together as a community. But the heart of East Somerville is already here. East Somerville is home to so many families with long-running ties to this area as well as to the city’s largest population of new immigrants and the highest concentration of kids. What a great mix. And, with the East Broadway project and Chuckie Harris Park, what an exceptional place this is and will continue to be to live, work, play and raise a family.