Envisioning Lower Allston’s future: Contested spaces at the margins of Harvard University’s expansion

Abstract

Anyone who walks, bikes, rides a bus or a car around Lower Allston today cannot avoid noticing the extent to which the neighborhood is changing and being rebuilt. Changes in global education markets have motivated Harvard University’s expansion in the neighborhood, an expansion that caters to the research and professional interests of the global creative class. With compliance from the leadership of the City of Boston, Harvard is moving ahead with its ambitious campus expansion. Through a close analysis to master plans, maps and publicly available documentation, this thesis explores the relationship between Lower Allston’s main urban development actors—the neighbors, Harvard University and the government of Boston—and analyzes each actor’s visions for the neighborhood’s future. When every single acre of land in Boston has been covered by modern classroom spaces, innovative entrepreneurship labs, and pristine landscaping… where will the people live?