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Agassiz - Neighborhood 8
Neighborhood Description
Agassiz is a small, moderate-density residential neighborhood with around five thousand residents. Harvard Square and Porter Square, both major commercial and transit centers, lie at either end of the neighborhood, and Massachusetts Avenue, which connects the two squares, serves as the neighborhood’s retail center. Universities are a major presence in the neighborhood, which contains academic and student housing facilities for both Harvard University and Lesley University. To the east, Agassiz shares a border with the City of Somerville.
- Link to Neighborhood Map (PDF format, 728 KB)
- Link to Neighborhood Statistics
Agassiz Neighborhood Study and Addendum
The Agassiz Neighborhood Study Committee met between April of 2000 and December 2001. During that time, the Study Committee heard presentations from city staff, discussed issues, and held public forums. Topics considered include housing, land use and zoning, urban design, transportation, open space, institutional uses, and economic development. Through this process of learning, discussing, gathering feedback from the community, and working toward consensus, the committee developed recommendations to better the neighborhood. These recommendations were published in May 2003 in the Agassiz Neighborhood Study.
In 2004 the Department published an Addendum to the Neighborhood Study. The addendum serves as a guide to the implementation of the recommendations,
providing a list of all recommendations from the study along with an implementation status and progress-to-date summary for each.
These files are in PDF format and require use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
- Agassiz Neighborhood Study Report (single file, 1.7 MB)
- Cover, Table of Contents and Executive Summary (232 KB)
- Maps (291 KB)
- Introduction, Methodology, Neighborhood Overview and Housing Recommendations (234 KB)
- Recommendations: Land Use and Zoning, Urban Design, Transportation (355 KB)
- Recommendations: Open Space (254 KB)
- Recommendations: Institutional (428 KB)
- Recommendations: Economic Development and Conclusions (155 KB)
- Agassiz Neighborhood Study Addendum (412 KB, PDF format)
Update to Neighborhood Study
During the Fall of 2007 the Community Development Department has begun an Update to the Agassiz Neighborhood Study. We will review the status of the recommendations in the 2003 Study, discuss current planning issues, and develop a revised set of recommendations to reflect the current goals and concerns of the community.
Check
the
Agassiz Neighborhood Study Update web page for more information, including meeting announcements.
Also of Interest to Neighborhood Residents
- Alden Playground Renovations. Completed 2006.
- Harvard University and Lesley University Town Gown Reports. Annual.
- Harvard Square Advisory Committee and other Harvard Square Links
- Harvard Square Design Project. See also DPW Construction Updates and Project Overview.
- Harvard Square Map (571 KB)
- Old Cambridge Historic District, administered by the Cambridge Historical Commission
- Porter Square and Lower Massachusetts Avenue Community Meetings. Completed 2005.
- Porter Square Design Project. See also DPW Project Overview.
- Porter Square Map (362 KB)
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 Planner: Jeff Roberts, jroberts@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4639.
The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.
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