4 takeaways from Wu's 2025 State of the City address

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu jammed a lot into her "State of the City" address Wednesday night before a packed MGM Music Hall at Fenway.

While the meat of the talk focused on local accomplishments and initiatives, she did open and close the address with direct nods to the national political atmosphere, and in particular the Trump administration's focus on Boston in its ire over immigration, trans athletes and other lines of attack.

Moments before her speech, Wu played a hype video that showed the city in a glowing light while also acting as a response of sorts to a similar video congressional Republicans posted last month ripping Boston and several other major cities for their immigration policies.

If you weren't in the crowd, or were watching Jeopardy! at home, here are a few takeaways from her speech to get you up to speed:

Using her recent appearance before a congressional committee as a backdrop, Wu pushed back on the Republican narrative about Boston, focusing on the city's progress in reducing crime, dropping overdose deaths and growing community spirit.

"We are a city where the Irish coffee is strong and our opinions are stronger. We may not always agree or see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, we are a family," she said. "If you come for one of us, you will get all of us. We are a city that knows our strength is each other: And we will defend the people we love with all that we’ve got."

While she highlighted Bostonians' pride in the city and the community it represents, she also touched on the personal, saying her 2-month-old daughter was not born into "the world I expected or hoped for her."

"I want her to grow up in a country that’s admired, not feared," Wu said. "A country stable and safe, not one that feels like it’s coming apart at the seams."

Wu wasn't shy in touting the $200 million plan to renovate White Stadium in Franklin Park, just as a lawsuit trying to block the work wages in a nearby court. And while critics focus on the plan's private partnership with Boston's incoming professional women's soccer team, and with the city's share of half the reno's tab, Wu instead focused on what a new facility would mean for Boston school children.

"... Four years ago, BPS student athletes were left with a sports facility that was rarely open and had been crumbling for four decades," she said. "Today, we are renovating White Stadium into a world-class athletics hub. White Stadium will be guaranteed for BPS students, coaches and residents 15 hours a day, more than 345 days of the year. And I will never stop fighting for what our city kids deserve."

Housing was another major theme, with Wu announcing several new initiatives:

To reactivate downtown, Wu said she'll push to help developers and colleges convert office buildings into residences and dormitories.

"By next summer, we’ll have 1,000 new homes under construction in the heart of Downtown. Tonight, I’m announcing that we are expanding this office-to-residential conversion program to universities and employers. If you are looking to reactivate office buildings as dorms or workforce housing, we will help you make that happen."

She also announced efforts to keep families together in their neighborhoods. That includes a new "anti-displacement action plan"; Wu did not provide details in her speech but promised its release Thursday.

"Boston’s growth should stabilize families and deepen their roots," Wu said.

She also announced a co-purchasing program to help families that provides no-interest deferred loans to help residents "combine their purchasing power to buy multi-family homes."

"I grew up with thousands of miles between me and my grandparents; I knew them mostly through red envelopes at New Year’s and long-distance calls. Today, my kids get to grow up with their grandma downstairs instead of an ocean apart."

For people who already own or rent a home in the city, Wu announced the Boston Saver Program, a partnership with energy utilities to distribute $150 million aimed at upgrading homes.

"If you need new windows or an updated heating system, we’ll find every dollar available to get the job done," she said.

Boston's beleaguered public school system nearly fell into state receivership at the start of Wu's mayoralty. Four years later, she touted the progress the district has made, even as it weighs unpopular choices like closing local schools.

"In the city that created public education, we must set the standard for others to meet," Wu said. "We aren’t there yet, but today, our public schools are on the right track and steadily building momentum."

The highs included a growing enrollment after a decade of decline; 94% on-time rates for buses after a disastrous rollout at the beginning of the school year; healthy meals cooked at schools, using ingredients from local farms; and a tentative three-year contract with the teacher's union.

Looking forward, Wu announced a co-op program between employers and Madison Park Technical Vocational High School "so students can earn credentials and a paycheck at the same time."

She also announced advanced math after-school programs, and an expanded program for teaching the arts. There's also the expansion of the "Boston Family Days" program, which provides free admission to cultural institutions in the city.

"This year we are adding Boston’s Revolutionary sites — the Paul Revere House, Old North Illuminated, Old State House, Old South Meeting House, and the USS Constitution as well as our leading performing arts institutions: ArtsEmerson, The Boch Center, the Wheelock Family Theatre, the Huntington Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Ballet," Wu said.