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Area 4
Neighborhood Description
Area 4 is a high-density residential neighborhood with around seven thousand residents, bounded by Hampshire Street to the north, the Boston & Albany Railroad to the east, Prospect Street to the west, and Massachusetts Ave. to the south . The major commercial center and transit center in Area 4 lies in Central Square with the main commercial strip along the Massachusetts Avenue edge, while smaller commercial areas exist along Main Street, Prospect Street, and Hampshire Street. Most of Area 4 is residential in character. However, the triangle in the southern part of the neighborhood bounded by Massachusetts Avenue, Main Street, and the Grand Junction Railroad (sometimes known as the Osborn Triangle) is a former industrial center now home to high-tech labs and offices, as well as facilities for the neighboring Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Link to Neighborhood Map (542 KB, PDF format)
- Link to Neighborhood Statistics
2010 Area 4 Neighborhood Study Update
Thanks to everyone who has participated in our public meetings or responded to the questionnaire!
Based on what was discussed at the meetings and heard from the questionnaire, Community Development Department staff have developed draft recommendations to reflect the major issues that were raised by community members and to provide guidance to the City’s future planning work in the neighborhood.
These draft recommendations are offered for review and comment. Comments may be sent to Jeff Roberts at jroberts@cambridgema.gov , 617/349-4639, or by mail to 344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139. Please submit any comments by August 9, 2010. This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
The next step in the process will be the completion and publication of the Area Four Neighborhood Study Update report, which will include the information presented and discussed at the public meetings, the final recommendations, and information on how City staff will address the recommendations over time through ongoing programs or specific future actions. Following publication of the report, recommendations will be addressed through the ongoing work of the Community Development Department and other city departments as appropriate.
Material from our public meetings can be downloaded below. These files are in PDF format and require use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
If you have any questions or would like to request any materials to be sent by mail, please contact Jeff Roberts at 617/349-4639 or jroberts@cambridgema.gov.
Join
the Mailing List for the Area 4 Neighborhood Study Update.
Download past Area 4 neighborhood studies. These files are in PDF format and require use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
1995 Area 4 Neighborhood Study and 2004 Update
The original neighborhood study was conducted in 1992 and issued in 1995.This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
Between 2001 and 2002 the Community Development Department held four public meetings with neighborhood residents. At these forums Department staff reviewed changes that occurred in the neighborhood since 1995, and residents offered recommendations to improve the way that the City addresses a variety of issues. In addition, the neighborhood planning staff reviewed the status of recommendations from the original neighborhood study.
In 2004 the Department published the Area 4 Neighborhood Study Update: Summary, Recommendations, and Action Plan, which reviews the discussions at the four neighborhood meetings, describe recommendations proposed there, and updates the status of recommendations from the 1995 study.This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
- Area 4 Study Update (1.0 MB)
Also of Interest to Neighborhood Residents
- Cambridge College and MIT Town Gown Reports. Annual.
- Central Square Action Plan. Completed 1987.
- Central Square Advisory Committee
- Central Square Map
- Draft Central Square Development Guidelines. Completed 1989.
- Farmers Markets in or near Cambridge Map
- Eastern Cambridge Planning Study. Completed 2001.
- Harvard Street Park Expansion. See also DPW Project Overview and Construction Updates.
- Inman Square Map
- Lafayette Square and Massachusetts Avenue Project. See also DPW Project Overview and Construction Updates.
- Prospect Street Study
- Sennott “Pocket Park” at Broadway and Norfolk Street
- Squirrel Brand Park. Completed 2004.
Neighborhood Organizations
The following list of neighborhood associations is solely offered as an aid the public. Please note that these organizations are independent of the City of Cambridge; any views and opinions they may express are strictly those of the neighborhood organization.
Go
To List of Neighborhood Organizations
Contact Neighborhood Planner
Neighborhood Planners: Jeff Roberts, jroberts@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4639 and Elaine Thorne, ethorne@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4648.
The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.
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