"We always thought of 20 minutes [to campus] as our threshold. Now we're thinking 30 minutes," says Sally H. Zeckhauser, Harvard's vice president for administration.

The housing areas that the University is investigating mainly lie along the Red Line, making them easily accessible by day, but posing some problems since the trains stop running at 1 a.m.

BF: WHAT'S TO GAIN?

Administrators behind the new pilot program see multiple benefits from the block-renting scheme.

First, they say, students will be living close to their peers and can benefit from a dorm-like community while still maintaining independent living quarters.

Second, by renting in bulk, Harvard may be able to secure discounted rates from landlords, on top of the cheaper rents these communities typically offer compared to Cambridge.

"We would hope to pass on any savings to students," Keller says.

And for the University, block-renting in these new communities is a way of working to help Cambridge and Boston officials as well.