Streets serve many roles in a community, acting as a means for transportation and connection, as well as for individual, community, and cultural expression. Main streets serve as a representation of the city and have the potential to act as a spatial marker of the values and lives of the residents. The opportunity to revitalize High Street in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, is an opportunity to think critically about the community’s identity, and to serve the interests of all those who live, work, and visit in Holyoke.
The class Revitalizing Urban Main Streets, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led by Jeff Levine, has partnered with the City of Holyoke for a study of South High Street. The project has been in close communication with the Office of Planning and Economic Development, One Holyoke, and the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) representative for the City of Holyoke.