On Feb. 28, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu began the process of sunsetting the practice of urban renewal in the city. Urban renewal tools have been at the disposal Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) since the American Housing Act of 1949. The BPDA and other agencies have exercised urban renewal throughout Boston history, including the eviction of over 10,000 residents from the West End neighborhood in the late 1950s. Though Wu’s order will end the practice of urban renewal in the city, she and other Boston residents hope to see the complete abolishment of the BPDA.

This video is a part of a climate justice series produced in Jody Santos’ course “Video News Reporting and Producing” at Northeastern University. Over the course of the semester, students will be producing news packages addressing climate and transit justice within Greater Boston.