Dorchester

For six neighborhoods across Boston, this summer marks an opportunity to celebrate local businesses and community organizations as the city converts roadways into public space in its annual Open Streets events.

Taking another step toward bolstering affordable homeownership in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu announced last week the team of developers who will build 70 residential units on 15 parcels of land in Dorchester and Mattapan.

Dorchester residents living along the heavily trafficked Columbia Road met last week with city transportation planners and urban design specialists to begin plotting the future look of the key neighborhood connector.

Located in South Bay Center in Dorchester, The Pearl provides the experience of entering a comfortable community corner bar that simultaneously offers handmade specialty cocktails, drinks and an elevated dining experience.

When homeowners moved into the Harvard Commons development in Dorchester years ago, they embraced the residential neighborhood and its private thoroughfares. Now, the initiation of a betterment project has homeowners considering the possibility of their private ways becoming public streets.

As a low-lying coastal city, Boston is at heightened risk for coastal flooding. To examine the challenges and opportunities of coastal resilience efforts, the Banner is digging into three sites along the metro-Boston shoreline where flooding could pose high risks and where solutions are being crafted to create new models for the future.

The cool green path of tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue cuts through Boston’s Back Bay. In the city’s southwest areas, tree-filled streets keep temperatures in neighborhoods like West Roxbury, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain low, providing relief and respite for residents. Compare that to low-tree areas in minority neighborhoods like Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roxbury and Dorchester.

The “Black Women Lead” public art project adorns Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and Roxbury with 212 banners spotlighting iconic Black women — in almost every field of work — who’ve shattered glass ceilings by being the first Black woman to do something, inspiring many and making a difference in our communities.

Residents in Dorchester and Roxbury had some tough questions last week for an advisory committee that Gov. Maura Healey created to explore critical issues in the Black community.

For 20 currently unhoused families, a new development in Dorchester will offer permanent supportive housing. It also represents another step to make affordable housing across the state more environmentally friendly.

An annual report from the Environmental Protection Agency this month provided mixed results on the water quality in the Neponset River, which borders Mattapan and part of Dorchester.

For Dorchester native Jaypix Belmer, the streets of Uphams Corner have always been home. Connecting with neighbors and observing the historic streets of the area were a natural part of life for Belmer — but in the last decade, those actions have become an urgent effort towards preserving Dorchester’s history and character.