Boston City Hall experts visit city

TOP US redevelopment boss John F. Palmieri made the trip from Boston City Hall to Londonderry’s Guildhall yesterday to offer our civic planners an insight in how to successfully regenerate a city.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Mar 2011, 10:37 BST

The Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) visited Londonderry to present at a seminar organised by Derry City Council’s Economic Development section in association with Ilex URC.

He travelled to the city to view the range of regeneration projects currently taking place including Ebrington Barracks and Guildhall Square, as well as taking time to visit the City of Culture offices and take a tour of the historic Walled City.

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Mr Palmieri brings over 25 years of experience in planning and economic development to the City of Boston, including a strong knowledge of development finance, community revitalisation, and real estate development.

He was appointed Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the BRA’s Board of Directors on October 3, 2007.

He is currently spearheading major initiatives for the Boston Redevelopment Authority including the development of the South Boston Waterfront as an innovation centre, the revitalization of Boston’s historic shopping district – Downtown Crossing, the growth of the Longwood Medical Area, the orderly expansion of academic institutions, and the growth of Boston’s core economic sectors.

Mayor Colum Eastwood said: “His visit also offers us the opportunity to build links between our city and Boston and learn from a leading international economic development officer.”

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The economic development chief has a proven track record in regeneration in his native United States.

Before his lead role in Boston he worked on numerous neighbourhood and downtown revitalisation projects during his career.

As the Director of Development & Planning in Providence, RI, from 1993 to 2002, he helped lead the implementation of a strategy to create an arts and cultural district, the development of the 1.2 million square foot Providence Place Mall, and the creation of a $1 billion Capital Center corporate district.

From 2002 to 2004, he served as the first Director of Economic Development for the City of Charlotte, NC, the nation’s second largest banking centre and fifth largest urban region. John helped develop an economic growth strategy for Charlotte, assisted the city manager and mayor in creating a new campus for Johnson & Wales University, and participated in the development of policy guidelines for transit-oriented development.