Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics Gets New Co-Chair

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s office announced on August 21 a new addition to the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM). Kris Carter, a new urban mechanic at MONUM for nearly 2 years, will serve as the new MONUM co-chair, a replacement to Chris Osgood who will officially become the city’s first chief of streets on Aug. 24.

"I am honored to take on this role and keep collaborating with civic entrepreneurs focused on improving the quality of life for the people of Boston, " said Carter. "Our team is excited to continue testing solutions for a broad range of complex urban problems and being bold in our experimentation."

Carter’s past work at MONUM has focused on the Streetscape Lab, an initiative aimed at turning city streets into more hospitable public spaces with transportation that is easier to use. That project yielded products like the ParkBoston and TicketZen smartphone apps. Carter also led a pilot that installed side guards on city vehicles with the intent of increasing cyclist safety. As an advisor to the mayor in 2012, Carter oversaw the expansion of the Boston Bike Project and Hubway system.

A mayoral press release details more of Carter’s work, while the MONUM website outlines past and ongoing innovation projects.