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This website features work from the completion of Phase 1 of the SCALES Project.

We are currently seeking partnerships for Phase 2.

Urban Studies

  • Assessing the Impacts of Growth in Lower Mystic (Assignment 3)

    A 15 page (max) double-spaced memo to the Boston Chief of Streets

    Read more: Assessing the Impacts of Growth in Lower Mystic (Assignment 3)

  • Re-Designing Massachusetts Avenue (Assignment 2)

    The Cambridge Director of Transportation has asked you, his trusted advisor, to help him plan his strategy with respect to current issues regarding Massachusetts Avenue between Central Square and the Harvard Bridge.

    For this assignment, you will have access to the counting reports of the teams at three intersections and locations along Mass. Ave. You should walk and observe, and use the first several steps of the 19 step process as part of your background work in preparing to write the assignment. Pay explicit attention to the first step: "who are you?" and how this impacts the advice you give.

    Read more: Re-Designing Massachusetts Avenue (Assignment 2)

  • Counting and Observing at Key Intersections (Assignment 1)

    The first assignment is a group assignment, to go out and observe key street cross sections and intersections nearby in Cambridge. This assignment gives you a chance to observe and think about how people, different travel modes, infrastructure, and neighboring land uses interact in a real, live place. You will not only look and see what is going on, but also start to become familiar with how "little numbers" translate to real-world conditions: what does 800 cars/hour look like vs. 800 people riding the T, and what impact do these differences have on the nature of the urban scene? You should become familiar with basic ideas like level of service, saturation flow rate, capacity, speeds, flow, and mode share (see Meyer and Miller, Chapter 3). We want you to think about how you measure and what you measure, and what impact this has on the transportation planning process and built outcomes.

    Read more: Counting and Observing at Key Intersections (Assignment 1)

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