Chinatown’s Changing Boundaries

May 5, 2009 by Chinatown Blogger.

Every now and then, people ask, “What are the borders of Chinatown?” Above is a map of Boston Chinatown’s boundaries from 1890 to 1990’s zoning district from The Chinatown Community Assessment Report, 1994. The Chinatown Blogger drew in the color lines to highlight the changes in Chinatown’s boundaries over the years.

The map illustrates the growth of the community from a small community centered around Harrison Avenue, Beach Street, and Oxford Street to what the community is today. The Chinatown community has not always grown during these years. From 1958 to 1970,  the community lost land to the Southeast Expressway I-93 and the Mass Turnpike I-90 Extension (the yellow outline) from Albany Street to Hudson Street while gaining a the Josiah Quincy School over Washington Street (green).

In the late 1980’s, the City of Boston initiated a master planning process for Chinatown and the result was the Chinatown Community Plan 1990. The Chinatown Community Plan 1990 (aka Chinatown Master Plan) established the zoning boundaries for the area which is highlighted in red. In the next post, this blog will post a map of the South Cove/Chinatown Neighborhood Council which differs the zoning boundaries.

Posted in WORD ON THE STREET | Print | No Comments »