For this grizzled Lowell political observer, the week of July 7, 2025 will go down as one of the most consequential in the city’s history.

I’m sure somewhere in the planning stages leading up to 1823, when the first mills began operating along the banks of the Merrimack River, there was a week of meetings of similar consequence to plan what Lowell would become during the Industrial Revolution. But given my ancestors were still too busy liberating Greece from Ottoman Empire occupation at the time, I wasn’t around to witness it.

Similarly, there must have been another monumental week of developments along the path to the U.S. Congress formally establishing the Lowell National Historic Park on June 5, 1978. At the time, however, I was too interested in becoming a teenager that December to care. And even if I did care, I wouldn’t have been wise enough to grasp its significance.

Fortunately, life and work experiences came together to afford either an in-person front row seat to last week’s developments, or the digital means with which to follow and record their significance. And what that bird’s eye view revealed was the promise of what we’ve been reporting at InsideLowell since late 2024 and through the first half of 2025; the Mill City has embarked on yet another transformational journey that will once again bring it to national and international prominence.

Here are a few thoughts on last week’s visit by Urban Economy Forum (UEF) representatives and the public unveiling of Lowell’s status as a Frontrunner City;

As the old idiom goes, light finally dawns on Marblehead

There are still some naysayers too wrapped up in their own misery to celebrate such a momentous moment, but there’s a genuine sense that something BIG just happened in our city.

Perhaps many still don’t understand exactly what form that will take, but most everyone I’ve spoken to or interacted with finally “gets it.” Something game-changing is unfolding before our very eyes, and the presence of an international delegation singing the virtues of Lowell, its institutions, and its people finally drove home the point we’ve been trying to make.

Speaking of that international delegation, they are sharp

No disrespect to Kamran Hassani Espili and Saman Motamedi, who oversee their own areas and bring their own strengths, but the showstopper at the sessions I was fortunate enough to attend was World Urban Pavilion Co-Director, Eduardo Lopez Moreno.

No matter the individual or group being addressed, Moreno was comfortable, knowledgeable and approachable. He was as much at ease around a United States Congresswoman and University President as he was around a local developer or son of an immigrant businessman. And at all times, he was in command.

One moment in particular stood out.

During the Wednesday lunch following the group’s downtown tour, I was fortunate enough to somehow end up sitting between Moreno and 3rd District Congresswoman Lori Trahan. As the two conversed, my head turning back and forth like a Centre Court tennis fan at Wimbledon, specifics about exactly how Frontrunner City funding occurs emerged.

Moreno explained how the UEF is funded by United Nations member countries, of which the U.S. is the largest contributor. In addition, individuals and organizations across the globe contribute money toward their own specific goals.

“How can we in the federal government help,” Trahan asked.

“The federal government can help with funding and support,” Moreno responded.

As the Congresswoman replied by addressing funding challenges in Washington’s current political climate, Moreno listened carefully and nodded. When she concluded, the man who has cultivated billion dollar deals across the globe and has no doubt overcome a political stalemate or two, mapped out a path for Lowell.

“Tell me you’d like to launch a climate project, and I’ll tell you that’s not possible right now,” Moreno said, before referencing another type of development that was highly unlikely in the coming years given the political realities. “But tell me you would like to develop an infrastructure or transportation project, and I’ll tell you we can get that done for sure,” he concluded, displaying a grasp of how to navigate political landmines and still create something positive under any leadership priorities.

Lowell’s leaders have the vision and the skills to pull this off

While the arena these United Nations types play in may be global, the people running Lowell and UMass Lowell belong on the playing field.

I wasn’t surprised that UMass President and former U.S. Congressman Marty Meehan fit right in, but UML Chancellor Julie Chen stepped to the occasion in a manner that was eye-opening.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen Chen make presentations before, and they’ve been quite impressive. She is almost always the smartest person in the room, though she’s humble enough and confident enough in herself to never let you know it.

What she and her team pulled off last Thursday afternoon was on a completely different level; a global level.

The 4pm session about the university and the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC) was originally scheduled for the Tsongas Center, but moved to the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, a clever move when discussing a global city initiative where sustainability, innovation and research are key themes.

Chen’s presentation was captivating and demonstrated how UMass Lowell is already engaging in the key components of what a Frontrunner City is. By the time she was done, the international delegation was sold. So much so, that Moreno was inviting Chen and Meehan to partner with them not only locally, but around the globe. Mind you, these people already have relationships with Harvard and M.I.T. If I didn’t know better, they were intimating that UML could fill a similar role.

As for the city’s elected officials and appointees, it was clear the Urban Economy Forum representatives had previously established a great working relationship with Mayor Danny Rourke and City Manager Tom Golden.

The City Councilors interacting with their guests projected a willingness and competence to put Lowell on the international map, with one observer pointing to an especially effective presentation by Erik Gitschier during a visit to the Lowell Youth Leadership Program.

Department of Planning and Development Director Yovani Baez-Rose was every bit the “rock star” she’d been described as being during the late 2024 trip to Toronto that put last week’s wheels in motion, and Assistant DPD Director Camilio Espitia fit right in. So much so, that one elected official commented to me that “Golden better be careful, or the international guests are going to steal them from City Hall.”

In short, Lowell’s governmental and institutional leaders exhibited a world-class leadership level that led to the Mill City becoming the first Frontrunner City in the entire United States. Let that sink in for a minute; not Boston, not New York, Los Angeles , Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston or Miami. The Urban Economy Forum selected Lowell, Massachusetts, and our leaders proved they and the city were more than deserving.

Before and after

The renderings of potential projects we showed on InsideLowell last week certainly have people buzzing and finally realizing what is possible through this initiative. They’re impressive enough when pictured alone, but when viewed in their totality, they point to a transformation that could make parts of the city unrecognizable in a few years.

How much so? These before and after photos from the Regent Park neighborhood in Toronto offer a clue.

Yes, the pretty new buildings will create housing. But as Moreno told assembled local developers, a project that is housing alone will not be supported. Proposals must also create jobs to uplift the people who inhabit the new units and the rest of the city, along with amenities that will improve the residents’ quality of life.

Which brings us to transit, a key component of Toronto’s Frontrunner City initiative.

“Think Main Street in Nashua with both wide streets and wide sidewalks,” a city councilor told me. Activity everywhere, with people walking to and from nearby destinations, and public transit for the longer jaunts.

The discussion led me back down memory lane to the proposed trolley system originating at Gallagher Terminal, running past the edge of the Hamilton Canal Innovation District, down Dutton Street and the National Park, toward the Tsongas Center and LINC.

When asked if the UEF might be able to help fund such a system, an idea discarded a few years ago due to the exorbitant price tag, another councilor said; “it’s already been discussed.”

The pace accelerates from here

The next steps will apparently resemble more of a jog, or even a sprint, than the slow crawl leading up to last week.

Seed funding documentation will be finalized by the end of this week. That package will in turn support early project activities including detailed project designs, stakeholder engagement, partnership development and pilot project implementation.

A Lowell delegation will attend Urban Economy Forum 7 October 14-16 in Toronto. You’ll recall, it was Mayor Rourke’s speech at last year’s event that caught the attention of UEF officials and got the ball rolling on Lowell’s Frontrunner City designation.

A global announcement was also scheduled for November at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, though we’re hearing that may actually be moved up to September.

All in all, the week of July 7, 2025 is one that will go down as a monumental week in Mill City history. It’s the week our citizenry truly became aware of its renewed prominence in the world, a week that will eventually lead to the rest of the world once again becoming familiar with Lowell.

And for the naysayers, it’s further proof that Lowell CAN have nice things.