DESIGN ASSOCIATES
Nashua Downtown Master
the Mill to the “South Commons.” The
first residential neighborhood was estab-
lished between the South Commons and
the Mill. On any given day, one could
walk from the Commons, to work, to
church, and to the stores lining Main
Street.
The basic lessons from Benjamin’s
plan were applied for nearly 100 years,
until the 1960's and 1970’s when its ele-
gant urban design was compromised. In
an attempt to save its Downtown, the
City embarked on an ill-fated urban
renewal program.
Throughout the 1980’s and 1990's,
thanks to grassroots organizing and one
small intervention after another, Down-
town re-established itself. Today, it is a
generally accepted fact that Downtown
Nashua has a “nice Main Street.” Side-
walks are lively, events well attended, and
investment strong.
The general appearance of health
however mask some problems. Behind
Main Street, the many neighborhoods
are fragmented and plagued by disinvest-
ment. They are not connected physically
or economically to each other or to Main
Street. Furthermore, Main Street itself,
south of City Hall, has been developed
as a suburban commercial strip.
As one charette participant stated:
“We have a good Main Street; now we
need a great Downtown.” The purpose of
this Plan is to accomplish that task. It
will do so by:
1. Celebrating Nashua’s primary
amenity: Its heritage. The clarity of
Plan
Asher Benjamin's design has
informed many aspects of this plan.
Most notably, it serves as a constant
reminder that great urban places
encourage social interaction through
a mix of uses, and that community
building must be consciously
designed to a human scale.
2 Strengthening Nashua’s most
unrealized amenity: Its natural
resources, especially the Nashua
River. Natural resources will act as a
framework for the primary connec-
tions between neighborhoods and
mixed use areas.
Downtown Today
A portion of Main
Street is strong but
many of the adjacent
neighborboods are
fragmented and
separated from this
investment by busy
arterial streets,
Downtown
Tomorrow
Landmarks and public
Spaces ave stitched
together with trails and
improved streets, thus
strengthening the
Downtown as a whole.
