What is the REAL Harvard plan?

The stories from the Crimson and TAB give a pretty good sense of Monday's meeting (the 2nd one in 5 days). Members of the community are getting more clear and outspoken about their concerns and their expectation that our issues will be addressed.

One problem with the TAB article is this claim made by Boston Chief Planner Kairos Shen that:

"the university had already incorporated many of the suggestions it has received, such as extending Rena Park all the way to the Charles River."

It would be great if Harvard really was proposing to bring this park all the way to the river. Unfortunately, the reality is that Harvard's proposal doesn't go that far. Harvard's images on the left imply a connection to the river. But the devil is in the details, and the images on the right show that the details don't match up with what Harvard would like us to believe.

The bicycle network in the upper-right shows a "major dual use path" in green that comes to a dead-end before reaching Soldiers Field Road. Below that, Harvard's river crossing diagram shows nothing where the image in the upper left shows a big swath of green connecting the campus and river.

The problem has nothing to do with the fact that Harvard's images were "computer-drawn, rather than by hand", as suggested in the TAB. The real problem is that key information is missing and different parts of Harvard's proposal contradict other parts. We don't need swoopy, curvy arrows that obscure the reality of what Harvard wants to build. Harvard wants to wrap up this master plan in just a few months, so it is time for clear, unambiguous detail of what it wants to build here in Allston.

Residents attack proposed revisions to Harvard’s plans - Allston/Brighton TAB

The Harvard Crimson :: Allston Meeting Becomes Heated