Fairmount Stories, 2023

"This work aims to address the confluence of racial justice, air quality, and transportation equity in the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Mattapan within the context of the Fairmount Line branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Commuter Rail train. Our research demonstrated that it is imperative that residents are educated about the Fairmount Line's negative environmental and health impacts. Additionally, we found that simply highlighting the negative impacts would do the mobility of the community an injustice. We sought to present a nuanced and layered narrative that empowers and educates community members and perhaps inspires action. Our proposed prototype is an interactive narrative website that highlights the story of the Fairmount Line as told through a fictional resident. The resident divulges the importance of transit equity and impact of air pollution, narrating the train's past, present, and potential futures. The web-story will support ongoing environmental justice advocacy efforts along the Fairmount Corridor neighborhoods." -- Abstract