MIT East Campus - Kendall Square Gateway | Cambridge

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Boldness and contemporary urbanity eradicated in the name of transparency,
humanity, civility, candor, decency, equity, & decorum
to render Pleasantville,

@ stick n move
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These angelic bodies got cladding! they got cladding!
cautious, friendly, welcoming, human scale,
dull, safe, unexceptional, bland, ornate architecture,
embellished grass plazas reflect our New Covenant, daring anyone be offended,
assured, no one ever will be.


No tall, no sense of balance--no exceptions.
no wow factor, no iconic, urban nothing, never, ever, ever.

But we'll get a Dunkin Donuts.
Think of the children.
 
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odurandina: Big corporation and government-supported Academia for big-brain, research faculties and a hyper-competitive, international student body with priorities other than urbanity: what more can we expect? Harvard Sq. is increasingly another example. And Harvard's Allston campuses? Complex urban fabric, human scale, unique retail, and soaring imagination must give way to funding sources, development costs, and a rush toward wholesale redevelopment when the money becomes available. The very definition of modern office park.
 
Life Coach Mike said:
odurandina: Big corporation and government-supported Academia for big-brain, research faculties and a hyper-competitive, international student body with priorities other than urbanity: what more can we expect? Harvard Sq. is increasingly another example. And Harvard's Allston campuses? Complex urban fabric, human scale, unique retail, and soaring imagination must give way to funding sources, development costs, and a rush toward wholesale redevelopment when the money becomes available. The very definition of modern office park.
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Mike --- No-one can seriously claim that Cambridge is not urban -- it has one of the highest densities of any city in the entire US
and Kendall Sq out densities almost all of the rest of Cambridge

Kendall Maybe not be as tall as some would like -- but actually it is considerably taller than what many who live in 3 deckers or single family houses in Cambridge are comfortable

And its getting taller and denser -- each incarnation or reincarnation of any part of Kendall is significantly taller than its predecessor:
  1. Google
  2. new Boston Properties residential towers
  3. Volpe [as a whole]
  4. MIT Gateway complex surrounding the T headhouse
  5. even the add / redo of the iconic Kendall Building

Finally
This is Christmas Eve -- Merry Christmas*1 to everyone on ABForum
Peace to all
We can resume the discussion later

🔔 🎄 🔔

*1
Happy Chanukkah
or if you chose to celebrate any other or any Winter Solsticial Commemorative Event -- then felicitous greeting for your celebrations in the appropriate manner for your culture [whether native or adopted]
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Granted, Cambridge's density is about the same as SF at about 18k/mile.
Manhattan's neighborhoods are 3.5~4.5X the density of Cambridge.
Manhattan is 4.0 X the density of Cambridge.
 
odurandina said:
Granted, Cambridge's density is about the same as SF at about 18k/mile.
Manhattan's neighborhoods are 3.5~4.5X the density of Cambridge.
Manhattan is 4.0 X the density of Cambridge.
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Oudurandina -- I don't know why we keep repeating this litany about density as if Manhattan was the be-all and end-all [a to Omega?] of city design

Just for some comparisons:

Here are 6 very Urban and very different cities [all from wiki as updated to 2019 as possible Population (January 1, 2019 (est) unless noted]:
in density order:

  1. Paris [Capital city, commune, canton and department]: Area 105.4 km2 (40.7 sq mi) Population 2,140,526 Density 20,000/km2 (53,000/sq mi)
  2. Buenos Aries: Area 203 km2 (78 sq mi) Population (2010 census) 2,891,082 Density in Buenos Aires 13,680/km2 (34,800 per sq mi)
  3. Hong Kong: Area 1,108[8] km2 (428 sq mi) Population (2018 est) 7,482,500 Density 6,777/km2 (17,552.3/sq mi)
  4. London [Burroughs and the City of London]: Area 1,569 km2 (606 sq mi) Population (mid-2018 est.) 8,899,375 Density 5,671/km2 (14,690/sq mi)
  5. Berlin [City/State]: Area 891.1 km2 (344.1 sq mi) Population (2018-12-31) 3,748,148 Density 4,206 /km2 (10,895/sq mi)
  6. Cape Town: Area 400.28 km2 (154.55 sq mi) Population (2011) 433,688 Density 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)

with Somerville Cambridge Boston and Worcester [in density order]:

  1. Somerville: Area [land only] 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km2) Population (2010) 75,754 81,562(2018 est) Density 7,680.80/km2 (19,893.17/sq mi)*S
  2. Cambridge (city w land only) Area 6.43 sq mi (16.65 km2) Population (2010) 105,162 118,977(2018 est) Density 7,144.21/km2 (18,503.42/sq mi)*C
  3. Boston [City only): Area [land] 48.42 sq mi (125.41 km2)*B Population (2018 est) 694,583 Density 5,538/km2 (14,344/sq mi )
  4. Worcester (City only ): Area [land] 38.6 sq mi (99.9 km2) Population (2010) 181,045 185,877 (2018 est) Density 1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)


*B -- Total Area 89.63 sq mi (232.14 km2) Water 41.21 sq mi (106.73 km2) 48.42 sq mi (125.41 km2)
*C Density est based on 2018 population est [land only considered]
*S Density est based on 2018 population est [land only considered]


 
Life Coach Mike said:
odurandina: Big corporation and government-supported Academia for big-brain, research faculties and a hyper-competitive, international student body with priorities other than urbanity: what more can we expect? Harvard Sq. is increasingly another example. And Harvard's Allston campuses? Complex urban fabric, human scale, unique retail, and soaring imagination must give way to funding sources, development costs, and a rush toward wholesale redevelopment when the money becomes available. The very definition of modern office park.
Click to expand...

Harvard has very little to do with redevelopment or starving of local business in Harvard Square, as they don't own much of it...
 
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