Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

vanshnookenraggen said:
Cambridge gets urbanism right. Too bad they are plagued by so much terrible suburbanism (Kendall and Alewife).
Click to expand...

Alewife yes with it's excessive space devoted to surface lots and arterial roads but is Kendall really "suburbanism"? It has a bit of an office park feel and most of the space (public or otherwise) feels uninviting but certain areas are being built up to feel more urban, such as Third Street from Broadway to Binney - a dense street wall of 7-8 story apartments with retail on the ground level. It maybe isn't quite "there" yet but it's headed in the right direction.

There are other decent spaces in the area, like One Kendall's plaza but a lot of it is spaced out. The lack of diversity in the neighborhood is another problem, it's like it was built for techies (and priced accordingly). On the whole the area feels a hybrid of urbanism, campus/office park suburbanism and something else altogether that is uncommon elsewhere - it's an innovation district! :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Don't labs usually require larger floorplates? If so, that's certainly an unavoidable problem in terms of urbanism for an area like Kendall and Cambridge as a whole.
 
tmac9wr said:
Don't labs usually require larger floorplates? If so, that's certainly an unavoidable problem in terms of urbanism for an area like Kendall and Cambridge as a whole.
Click to expand...

Often but not always. The most efficient labs have very deep floor plates. There is very many spaces that do not want the environmental variation that comes with being near a perimeter.

cca

Ps. If you have not been ... its time to take a T ride. Kendall Square is an order of magnitude more "buzzy" than it was 5 years ago. Retail (food) has caught up, and there is a night-time street life. It all has to do with density and the energy of the inhabitants. This square does NOT feel like suburbia in any way. It is not perfect urbanism ... but it is continuing to get better.
 
The new building by the Kayaks is almost complete!

DmgKthq.jpg
 
^ That would be Watermark II. Excellent pic!

Also, thanks kz for the thread link. I deleted the post here and moved it to the Fogg Thread.
 
cca said:
Often but not always. The most efficient labs have very deep floor plates. There is very many spaces that do not want the environmental variation that comes with being near a perimeter.

cca

Ps. If you have not been ... its time to take a T ride. Kendall Square is an order of magnitude more "buzzy" than it was 5 years ago. Retail (food) has caught up, and there is a night-time street life. It all has to do with density and the energy of the inhabitants. This square does NOT feel like suburbia in any way. It is not perfect urbanism ... but it is continuing to get better.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

I'll be visiting next month, so I'll definitely try to take a walk through the area...I've only visited Boston (and the US as a whole) for one week since I left in 2011 so I haven't seen pretty much any of the new stuff. I haven't spent a ton of time in Kendall regardless, but I'm sure I'll still be able to spot the differences between before and now.
 
datadyne007 said:
^ That would be Watermark II. Excellent pic!

Also, thanks kz for the thread link. I deleted the post here and moved it to the Fogg Thread.
Click to expand...

Watermark II has been done (at least externally, and I think I've seen things that look like residences inside) for a while. The new new building is the one behind the garage air vent.
 
This building being discussed is a spec lab building designed by Arrowstreet.

cca
 
cozzyd said:
Watermark II has been done (at least externally, and I think I've seen things that look like residences inside) for a while. The new new building is the one behind the garage air vent.
Click to expand...

Yes, Watermark II is long completed. The building near the canal is 450 Kendall Square and is lab space.
 
It's Parcel G, which has gone through so many iterations, and landed on the one that makes the least sense, and is causing the most heartache trying to fit it all in.

Should've staid residential, but it has been spec. office space previously too. But, in Kendall, lab always makes sense dollar wise.
 
cca said:
Ps. If you have not been ... its time to take a T ride. Kendall Square is an order of magnitude more "buzzy" than it was 5 years ago. Retail (food) has caught up, and there is a night-time street life. It all has to do with density and the energy of the inhabitants. This square does NOT feel like suburbia in any way. It is not perfect urbanism ... but it is continuing to get better.
Click to expand...

I'll go with food and retail is catching up still, and not caught up.
Still not enough price variety and number of places to support the daytime population. Needs a major in rush of night time population to allow for mid priced options to be viable here.

I say this on the heels of spending 12.84 on a pork sandwich (fairly small yet tasty) and a can of coke for lunch yesterday. That's not just closing in on 10 bucks for lunch, it's well beyond. This was from Commonwealth, which remains the biggest disappointment to me since coming to this neighborhood. Advertise it as a market when it was coming. This place could not be further from a 'market', which is what the area and the growing number of residents need. Not another over priced restaurant/bar with a bit of a deli and select (small) produce and dairy products.

at 12 bucks a lb for roast beef and turkey from the deli, and 5 bucks for a half gallon of milk..... a market for residents this is not.
 
SeamusMcFly said:
I'll go with food and retail is catching up still, and not caught up.
Still not enough price variety and number of places to support the daytime population. Needs a major in rush of night time population to allow for mid priced options to be viable here.

I say this on the heels of spending 12.84 on a pork sandwich (fairly small yet tasty) and a can of coke for lunch yesterday. That's not just closing in on 10 bucks for lunch, it's well beyond. This was from Commonwealth, which remains the biggest disappointment to me since coming to this neighborhood. Advertise it as a market when it was coming. This place could not be further from a 'market', which is what the area and the growing number of residents need. Not another over priced restaurant/bar with a bit of a deli and select (small) produce and dairy products.

at 12 bucks a lb for roast beef and turkey from the deli, and 5 bucks for a half gallon of milk..... a market for residents this is not.
Click to expand...

I am a resident (daytime) of this area and have been for the last 10 years and I guess my lens on this is that it is a significant change for the better. The heart of Kendall (Marriott Courtyard, Globe Fountain) Is lively, dense and has a vastly different vibe than 5 years ago.

I agree the periphery is just starting to gel, but it is going in a pretty good direction. Next time you want a cheaper but filling lunch .. head to Acituna.

cca
 
Thanks. Heard good things, but I guess the name sounds too high brow for me, so haven't tried it. Will do.

And, yes. Changes are going in the right direction for sure. Just like to see more residential proposals obviously, and a continued fixing of the past generations ills (whatever the Microsoft building is called, it's so awful along the street, particularly Main.)
 
Acituna is the opposite of high brow.

cca
 
Squeaky Beaker is also good for cheaper sandwiches than Commonwealth, and the burrito place in the parking garage HQ is also very reasonable. Commonwealth is very good but they've already raised their prices out of my normal lunchtime comfort zone. They used to be closer to 7.50-8 a sandwich.

Anyways, Kendall does seem to have more nightlight these days. I was out last night and there were lots of people eating and drinking, even past 11! Definitely a more urban feel than you'd expect.
 
Galactic said:
Squeaky Beaker is also good for cheaper sandwiches than Commonwealth, and the burrito place in the parking garage HQ is also very reasonable. Commonwealth is very good but they've already raised their prices out of my normal lunchtime comfort zone. They used to be closer to 7.50-8 a sandwich.

Anyways, Kendall does seem to have more nightlight these days. I was out last night and there were lots of people eating and drinking, even past 11! Definitely a more urban feel than you'd expect.
Click to expand...

There are many mid priced options in Kendall for lunch:
Rebecca's Cafe
Secret Deli (across from Rebecca's)
MIT Food trucks (Jose's truck is dirt cheap)
Chipotle
Cosi
...there are more.

BTW, Aceituna is a favorite of mine, but not significantly less expensive than Commonwealth. To get a chicken plate and drink you're going to spend $12+.
 
The Koch Cafe (inside the Koch Building at MIT) is pretty good. Also there's Discovery Cafe at Binney and 6th which I used to go to when I lived in East Cambridge and was walking to my office around lunchtime. Also now I want a beef shawarma combo but Aceituna closes at 8 :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top