Harvard forgets its fences

Harvard gave a presentation at last night's Task Force meeting about its plans to build Tata Hall, a $100 million new executive education building for the Business School on what is now a grass field near the Charles River, Soldiers Field Road, and the Weeks Footbridge.

From Harvard's scale model of the campus, rendered images, and descriptions of a permeable design that flows from campus to city, one might actually think that the border between the Business School and the adjacent sidewalk is open and porous. That would be nice, but that is not the reality.

With the exception of a couple gates, there is nothing open or accessible about this area. Everywhere there is not a building there is some combination of hedge, wall, or fence.

Harvard representatives had no comment last night when asked if the lack of walls and fences in their presentation materials were an indication that the walls and fences were going to be removed in the spirit of creating a more permeable campus.

Harvard's Presentation	Harvard's Reality

By the way, Harvard has the right to build whatever it wants between its campus and its neighbors in Boston and Cambridge. It would just be nice for them to be honest about it instead of misrepresenting it.