Recently I attended a meeting focused on how Americans could reduce their carbon footprint by re-arranging their neighborhoods. (And it’s not only I who am drawn to such nerdy topics—the room was full.)

The speaker talked about sufficient density, public transportation, sidewalks, intersections, easy access between home and work—in other words, all the advantages we enjoy in downtown Boston. We don’t have to remake our neighborhoods like some cities do.

During the question and answer period, one member of the audience spoke up. “You’re forgetting one important factor,” he said. “Schools are an important vehicle for reducing your carbon footprint.”

Then he told his story. He and his family were living in the Back Bay long before the phrase “carbon footprint” had been invented. They wanted to stay there and not depend on a car. But they couldn’t. There was no public school they could walk to. So they left.

I talked with the man later. His name is Neal Glick. His story, not surprisingly, is similar to many who have left Boston.

Glick is a lawyer who worked downtown for decades and whose firm is now located in the Seaport District. When he lived downtown he could walk to work or take the subway. “It was appealing and tremendously rewarding to live in the Back Bay,” he said, “and not just for environmental reasons.” Continue reading →