Harvard and Cambridge have grown up together.

For 364 years, they have shared the same patch of land by the Charles, cooperating to become the foremost university and the foremost university town in the world.

Harvard is Cambridge's largest landholder, wealthiest resident and biggest tourist draw. Cambridge provides an eclectic, exciting and safe environment for America's oldest university.

The 364-year partnership--like any, filled with ups and downs--has served both the University and Cambridge well.

But now, at the dawn of a new millennium, the symbiotic relationship between Harvard and its home city has deteriorated to the point of public acrimony.

Despite attempts by the University to smooth over the rough spots, the tone of interaction between the two has descended to its worst levels in years, and each side blames the other.

The University cites aggressive and vocal statements by new members of the City Council and the inexperience of the new mayor, Anthony D. Galluccio.

The city claims Harvard has not fulfilled its civic obligations and that its plans for development overlook the concerns of residents.

Both sides say that open and effective communication is nearly impossible because of the other's decentralized and fragmented administration.

"Harvard would like to be perceived as a social partner but [administrators] don't want to have their hands tied in any way," Galluccio says. "I don't think they've listened or really understood the advantages of developing a partnership with the city."

Paul S. Grogan, Harvard's vice president for government, public and community affairs, counters that the structure of city government is responsible for the strained relationship.

"If it is impossible for the University to be able to get things done, from our point of view [that represents] a strain in town-gown relations," he says.

Over the past 18 months, the University has embarked on a series of steps to try to improve relations between Harvard and Cambridge.

In January 1999, University President Neil L. Rudenstine appointed Grogan to his current post, shifting Harvard's community relations focus from federal matters to local ones. Harvard has conducted polls and published reports emphasizing Harvard's positive economic and social contributions. Last November, the University announced a $20 million affordable housing initiative for Cambridge and Boston.

But at the same time, Harvard's continuing attempts at development have created much of the tension. Proposals to build the Knafel Center for Government and International Studies on Cambridge Street and a modern art museum on the banks of the Charles have drawn fierce criticism from Cambridge residents and city councillors.