We Don't Need Another World Cup to Bring Boston Together. We Already Have the Waterfront.
Ian Karby, Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront
Christian Merfeld, Boston Harbor Now and author of the Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study
For a few remarkable weeks this summer, Greater Boston showed us the best version of itself.
Along our public squares, public houses, and the regions’ waterfronts, strangers became neighbors. Families lingered in public spaces long after matches ended. Children kicked soccer balls on the Harborwalk while fans draped in the colors of countries from around the world laughed, chanted, and celebrated together against the backdrop of Boston Harbor.
One afternoon, Scottish supporters filled the waterfront with bagpipes and blue-and-white scarves. Hours later, those same spaces came alive with Cape Verdean families dancing and waving flags. Brazilian and Colombian fans gathered alongside lifelong Bostonians and first-time visitors. The languages changed, the music changed, but the feeling remained the same: everyone was welcomed, everyone belonged.
Just days later, Tall Ships transformed many of these same waterfront spaces once again. Hundreds of thousands gathered along the harbor—not because they shared the same background, but because they shared the same public space. The waterfront became Boston's front porch, inviting everyone.
These moments weren't accidental. They reflected intentional investments in public spaces, thoughtful programming, reshaping policies around positive intentions and a collective effort to make our waterfronts places where people wanted to gather.
Now comes the question: Why should that feeling disappear now that the events have ended?
The goal is to advance a region where every resident experiences that same sense of belonging whenever they visit the waterfront—whether it's during a global event or an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
Greater Boston is fortunate to have one of the country's most extraordinary collections of blue and green spaces. Boston Harbor, the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset Rivers, waterfront parks, beaches, and 43 miles of Harborwalk belong to all of us—not just during international tournaments or special events, but every day of the year.
Imagine if we treated these places with the same purpose and energy that defined this summer. What if every resident—regardless of neighborhood, age, ability, culture, or income—felt our waterfronts were designed for them?
The benefits would extend far beyond recreation.
Inclusive waterfronts improve physical health by encouraging walking, biking, paddling, and outdoor activity. They improve mental well-being by helping people connect with nature, reduce stress, and spend time with family and friends. They strengthen climate protections by building support for restoring shorelines and investing in much needed infrastructure.
They also strengthen local economies. Vibrant waterfronts support small businesses, attract visitors, create jobs, and encourage investment. Perhaps most importantly, they create something our communities increasingly need: places where people connect across cultures, generations, and neighborhoods.
This summer reminded us that waterfronts are among the few places where people from every background naturally come together. We didn't ask where someone was from before celebrating beside them. We simply shared the same space and the same sense of joy.
Creating truly inclusive waterfronts requires thoughtful design that prioritizes accessibility, programming that reflects our diversity, and investments that connect neighborhoods to the water through reliable transportation, welcoming parks, affordable activities, and year-round events. It also requires listening to communities that have too often been left out of decisions about our blue spaces.
This September, the Coalition for an Inclusive Waterfront and Boston Harbor Now will convene community leaders, planners, advocates, designers, public agencies, law makers, and residents for the Waterfront for All Summit. Together, we'll explore how Greater Boston can capture, scale, and replicate the best practices that made our public waterfront feel so welcoming during the extraordinary summer of 2026—and how we can make that feeling permanent.
The goal isn't to recreate the World Cup or Tall Ships.
The goal is to advance a region where every resident experiences that same sense of belonging whenever they visit the waterfront—whether it's during a global event or an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
We already know what's possible because we've seen it. We've watched thousands of people from different countries, cultures, and neighborhoods gather peacefully along Boston Harbor. We've seen public spaces become places of joy, wellness, and connection.
Greater Boston's waterfronts are more than scenic destinations. They are shared civic spaces with the power to improve health, strengthen communities, support economic opportunity, advance climate resilience, and remind us that our greatest asset isn't simply the water itself—it's what happens when everyone feels welcome along its edge.
The World Cup and Tall Ships showed us what our waterfront can be. Now it's up to all of us to make that vision part of everyday life, all 365 days a year.