The campus to community transition

The North Allston Strategic Framework had a few ideas about how the new Harvard campus should meet the existing neighborhood:

Acknowledge the need for careful transitions in scale, vehicular circulation, and design between existing residential neighborhoods and new development.

Using new housing for residents and Harvard affiliates to create a transition between the campus and the existing residential areas

Create a permeable transition between community and campus that invites the community into the campus and the campus into the community, and that avoids any sense of a “town/gown” separation

But Harvard seems to have pretty much disregarded all of these ideas in its current proposal. This is most obvious to the east of Windom Street, the largest area where Harvard's campus proposed by its impending IMP and existing homes will be side-by-side.

I have trouble understanding why it would be a great idea to dwarf the existing homes by building graduate student dormitories for several hundred students right behind the one and two family homes there today. The home-made image below shouldn't be taken literally (or any more literally than Harvard's image), but it is another way to think about how a row of homes for Harvard affiliates might be used to go from community to campus.

Existing Buildings
Harvard's Proposal
Another Option

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:01 AM

    I think these graduate student Dormitories are to close to the RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY.These Dormitories look like they shadow and TOWER over this tiny little area. I would hope Harvard comes up with a better idea as THEY ARE ENCROACHING TO MUCH INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

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  2. Anonymous10:02 PM

    We all know that the Harvard steamroller is coming through. As the lady from E. Boston stated, when she came to an ABNNF meeting, we need to stick to our guns and stand our ground. Harvard is going to get their housing but we do not have to like it. If they want housing to blend in, then let them build homes like the ones that are already here. Yes, it will cost them more money, but they have it.
    Blending means to have a little of each thing so it looks continuous. It does not mean short and tall, single/two family homes vs. apartment buildings.

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