Warehouse District Permeating the Light Industry Buffer of East Cambridge
Harvard Graduate School of Design, July 2019 under Maria Peroni
The Warehouse District is an urban design proposal which looks to transform the Eastern Cambridge light industry buffer into a mixed-use focal point of affordable housing units and street retail boutiques in an attempt to combat the growing city-wide housing crisis and create a destination point for residents, employees and visitors alike.
In understanding the current and future context of Eastern Cambridge, the Warehouse District looks to bridge the gap between the historical low-scale residential neighborhood of the north and the large biotech industry of Kendall Square by repurposing existing warehouses for street retail shops and restaurants.
Major Roads / Context of Light Industry Buffer
AMI, Cambridge
House Listing Values
% White Residents
Following the 1994 City Council decision to abolish rent control, the Cambridge housing market dramatically rose - reaching triple to the values their initial values. As a result, many long time residents have been priced out of their homes and have been displaced. Today, there are a variety of programs in place to address the region’s housing crisis, however many large-scale direct initiatives have yet to be executed.
Existing Programmatic Context
Proposal
The Warehouse District is comprised of three complementary facets - a repurposed street retail core flanked by an intermixing of housing and office & research complexes. By understanding the large opportunities available in the region - both with the existing structures and the large number of parking lots - we began to foresee this region as an ideal development site for a hub that can address problems at a local and city-wide scale.
Final Massing Distribution
Housing Distribution
Street Retail Distribution
Industry Distribution
Design Strategy
In addressing the stratified variation in block structures across Eastern Cambridge, the Warehouse District publicly activates each block’s core and densifies its perimeter, thereby making each road pedestrian friendly while also encouraging permeability through the block rather than around it. Additionally, finalized building masses are dictated by their programmatic purposes and immediate surroundings.
Section Cut (S-N)