Harvard Pres Details Plan for 200-Acre Campus

ALLSTON, MA-Harvard University’s 200 acres in what is now an industrial area could eventually be a vibrant college campus with science and technology centers, professional schools, university housing all in an urban neighborhood, according to a plan outlined by university president Lawrence Summers.

In an open letter, Summers notes that the Cambridge, MA-based university has acquired 200 acres in the city over the past 20 years. Much of the land, he points out, “is highly encumbered and will require much effort and expense–as well as time, measured in decades–to become available for university use.” He adds that, “We expect, however, that we will be in a position to begin some limited building within the next several years, and to pursue some additional development within the ensuing decade.”

The plan is for the local properties to ultimately become what Summers terms an “integral” part of Harvard’s academic enterprise. He emphasizes that these properties will feature a mix of uses–both academic and residential–and will be linked with other parts of the campus. Perhaps most importantly, Summers stresses that the local campus will be planned knowing that Harvard’s long-term growth opportunities in Cambridge, as well as in Longwood eventually, are extremely limited.