You’re only paranoid if they’re not out to get you…

Harvard’s recent actions involving buying buildings, emptying out paying tenants, then leaving them empty seems illogical when viewed in the short term, but long term what does it seem like? In 50 years allegedly North Allston will be an urban utopia. This seems like a South Park (1) inspired plan -

Phase 1. Buy and empty buildings

Phase 2. [Silence]

Phase 3. Urban utopia

One scary long term option whether intentional or unintentional is that Lower Allston and Brighton are being prepped for West End style urban renewal. After many years of fighting and trying to better their neighborhood will some number of residents “vote with their feet” on Harvard’s work in Allston and move to more rat free homes in the surrounding area - Oak Square, Watertown Square/Arsenal, Waltham’s Moody St?  With the community shattered and “blighted” who would stop or object to eminent domain land grabs to enlarge Harvard’s treks of land?

Brief history of the West End snipped from Wikipedia(2):

“By the 1950s, Boston’s West End had turned into a working-poor residential area with scattered businesses with small meandering roads much like the North End. According to most residents, the West End was a good place to live at this time.[3] The once overcrowded neighborhood was in the process of “deslumming”[6] and the population had dropped to around 7,500 residents.[7] By the end of the 1950s, over half of the neighborhood would be completely leveled to be replaced with residential high rises as part of a large scale urban renewal project.”

“[Mayor] Hynes wanted to return prosperity to Boston…As part of a plan to create a “New Boston”, the BRA redeveloped neighborhoods throughout the 1950s…Scollay Square was leveled to create…Government Center…The motivation behind these projects was to replace neighborhoods that had been classified as slums…”

“The plan involved completely leveling a 46-acre (190,000 m2) portion of the West End, displacing 2,700 families to make way for 5 residential high rise complexes that would contain only 477 apartments.[4] The new development was aimed towards upper middle class residents: most of those displaced would not be able to afford to return.”

Scary stuff.  Now don’t get me wrong I like the sound of Phase 3. urban utopia.  Who doesn’t want North Allston to be the “next Harvard Square” with thriving small businesses, good mass transit options and green spaces?  The problem is Phase 1 and Phase 2 shouldn’t completely destroy our neighborhood to get to Phase 3.

(1) “South Park’s” Investing Lesson http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2001/foth011108.htm

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End,_Boston