Actually, no, the Porter Square shopping center and its parking lot were a large, single-family property, the Rand Estate, with no streets inside at all.
To some extent, Davis Square did evolve around the needs of public transit, long before the Red Line arrived in 1984. Until 1926, B&M commuter trains stopped right in the middle of the Square. Even after that ended, streetcars continued running, on more or less the present bus routes.
Re: No comparison with Davis and Porter Squares
Date: 2006-12-08 04:35 pm (UTC)To some extent, Davis Square did evolve around the needs of public transit, long before the Red Line arrived in 1984. Until 1926, B&M commuter trains stopped right in the middle of the Square. Even after that ended, streetcars continued running, on more or less the present bus routes.