Incomplete Buffers The Ineffectiveness of TDR Regions in East Cambridge
Harvard Graduate School of Design, July 2019 under Maria Peroni
Transference Development Rights Regions - areas whose intention is to preserve primarily residential areas from encroaching industry and business - is ineffective in building compatibility between different urban typologies in East Cambridge.
TDR Block Typology Analysis
The mid-19th century saw an industrial boom in the region, requiring a lot of recently land-filled waterways to be allocated for manufacturing processes. Today, these blocks are repurposed for biotech & software companies. As a way to protect the historic northeastern residential neighborhoods, TDR regions have been installed which allocate light industry plants to act as a buffer between the biotech hub and the neighborhood.
TDR Site Images
The region fails in properly accomplishing this task as this TDR region - based on its block structure, program, and streetscape - continue to favor the industry rather than the homeowner.