Spiegelman said that whatever the crossing, Harvard’s mode of transit for crossing the river—buses or light rail have both been discussed—has not been decided.
A NEW LANDSCAPE
Another improvement that the report suggests will be likely in any case is a revamping of Allston’s landscape.
“Allston needs more and improved green spaces, and better access to them,” the report reads.
“Part of the issue is to make the connectivity quicker. [Another part] is to make it a much more enjoyable experience,” said Alan Altshuler, the dean of the Graduate School of Design and a member of Harvard’s Master Planning Advisory Committee.
Accordingly, the report outlines several measures to free up green space and provide a more pleasant trip for travelers from Barry’s Corner (the intersection of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue) past the Larz Anderson Bridge.
A canal dug through the current athletic fields northwest of Harvard Stadium could manage surface water and provide a place for skating and hockey in winter, according the report. And if Houses are built near the athletic facilities or HBS, the report suggests that Soldiers Field Road could be rerouted underground to allow pedestrians direct access to the river.
CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY
Harvard’s provisional report is more narrowly focused than the North Allston Strategic Framework for Planning, which the city of Boston released last October.
That report called for a tight integration of Harvard’s Allston campus and existing North Allston communities.
While today’s Harvard report mostly focuses on its own campus, some sketches show graduate schools or cultural centers replacing the Charlesview apartments northeast of Barry’s Corner.
Harvard is currently negotiating with Charlesview to relocate the complex to another area in Allston or Brighton, but some Charlesview residents have expressed dissatisfaction at Harvard’s dealings.
Ray Mellone, the chair of the Harvard Allston Task Force and an Allston resident, said that he had the report but had not read it yet.
—Staff writer Brendan R. Linn can be reached at blinn@fas.harvard.edu.