But whatever the causes, many Square residentssay they think the effects of increased tourismare crystal clear.

"We have too much tourist-related industry, toomuch fast food, fast clothing," Duehay says. "TheSquare is dictated by the economy."

And Kevin Montague, a 36-year Cambridgeresident who works in the Harvard SquareInformation Booth, agrees. The view from the boothwindow--the Coop, CVS and six banks--pretty muchsums up the "disappointing" changes Harvard Squarehas undergone, he says.

"You don't need a bank on every corner,"Montague says. "The Square has lost 40 percent ofits alternative flavor. It is turning morecommercialized."

For some, the Square is a capitalist dream: bigstores making big bucks. But Cambridge residentssay big businesses benefit the visitors and notthose who live nearby.

The restaurants and stores in the new Square"mainly cater to tourists and people who work inthe Square as opposed to residents and students,"Duehay says.

Cambridge residents say the problem is not thatthey don't like the new establishments, but thatthey simply miss the old stores which have beenedged out.

Residents must travel as far as Porter orCentral Square to find basic necessities atreasonable prices. Bertucci's and Pizzeria Unodon't make good substitutes for a grocery store.

"You can't buy a stick of butter or a spool ofthread in the Square," says Paul Corcoran, ownerof the Harvard Shop.

Rent Control's Legacy

Residents worried about the changing nature ofthe Square say abolishing rent control may verywell add fuel to the fire consuming their oldneighborhood.

According to Pitkin, who runs a demographicconsulting firm on Brattle Street, the Novemberdecision to abolish rent control is likely todestabilize Cambridge's tenant population.

Many people have been living in the samerent-controlled apartments for years, Pitkin says.When housing prices rise, those people will leave,returning Cambridge to the "pattern of short-termresidents" that characterized the Square beforerent control took effect in the early 1970s.

"Cambridge--before rent control--had the leaststable population in Massachusetts," Pitkin says.

In fact, when Pitkin moved to the city in 1970,there were some apartments that would change handsthree or four times a year. "You couldn't go downthe streets because they were choked by movingtrucks," he says.