Is MIT a Good Place to Live?
The University Campus as a Residential Environment
by
Jeffrey C. Roberts
S.B. in Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002
Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master in City Planning
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
June 2003
copyright MMIII Jeffrey C. Roberts. All rights reserved.
In this study, I approach the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology from the perspective of campus residents. Considering the
campus as a neighborhood, I analyze and evaluate the effects of the
physical campus on its residents' quality of life. After presenting a
historical overview of the MIT residential campus and the ideas that
have influenced it, as well as a synopsis of background information on
the MIT residential experience, I present the results of a series of
discussions held at residences around the MIT campus on the topic of
how the campus performs as a residential environment. To conclude, I
first define a set of criteria, based on the results of the
discussions, by which the MIT campus might be analyzed and evaluated
from a residential point of view. I then find that the MIT campus has
many features that are not supportive of its residential function, and
suggest some strategies for the future development that might improve
the campus as a residential environment.