Dorchester Road is in a category of its own when it comes to community gardening. The street is divided down the middle by a green island creating a romantic urban parkway, surrounded by beautiful houses while being connected to a historic Olmsted landscape (Bidwell Parkway). Dorchester is unique in that it is not a thoroughfare for traffic - a number of years ago the residents on the street closed the Bidwell end to traffic, which created a quiet cul de sac.
A friend who lives on the street, Greg Usewicz, told me that the residents also worked with The City on installing a watering system that makes the job of watering trees and flowers a lot easier. "There are a number of devoted gardeners on Dorchester who take care of the island," Greg said. "You couldn't ask for a better feature right out in front of your house." The most amazing thing is the size of this year-to-year community project. The gardens begin at Baynes, intersect with Richmond and then end at Bidwell. That's a long stretch! There are a small planted circles in-between some of the islands, a couple of healthy deciduous and conifer trees to break up the design, hanging flower baskets, and all sorts of blooming bed varieties. Each gardener adds his or her own personal touch.
It's too bad that there are not more of these types of streets in Buffalo. It is curious that Dorchester is so different than all of the surrounding streets. The tended median shows a strong sense of community, and I would imagine adds a lot to the property values of the houses.
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A friend who lives on the street, Greg Usewicz, told me that the residents also worked with The City on installing a watering system that makes the job of watering trees and flowers a lot easier. "There are a number of devoted gardeners on Dorchester who take care of the island," Greg said. "You couldn't ask for a better feature right out in front of your house." The most amazing thing is the size of this year-to-year community project. The gardens begin at Baynes, intersect with Richmond and then end at Bidwell. That's a long stretch! There are a small planted circles in-between some of the islands, a couple of healthy deciduous and conifer trees to break up the design, hanging flower baskets, and all sorts of blooming bed varieties. Each gardener adds his or her own personal touch.
It's too bad that there are not more of these types of streets in Buffalo. It is curious that Dorchester is so different than all of the surrounding streets. The tended median shows a strong sense of community, and I would imagine adds a lot to the property values of the houses.
In Portland they have established a series of streets called "neighborhood greenways" that often have barricades for cars like this one, but with signage that explicitly allows bicyclists and pedestrians through. So only local car traffic comes through, but the street is designated an enhanced route for people on foot or bicycle.
Dorchester isn't long enough to be a candidate for something like that, but it's a similar idea.