A recent study by Fenway Community Development Corporation (CDC) titled “Student Housing Patterns in the Fenway: A report on the pressures of university expansion on neighborhood housing stock” claims that the percentage of college students who live in the Fenway neighborhood has increased by 40 percent in the last 10 years. The study’s findings are a bit hard to take in at first blush.
Northeastern seems to straddle the line between the Fenway, Symphony, and Back Bay areas of Boston, and students live in all of these areas. The most popular and seemingly most heavily populated student areas are Mission Hill and lower Allston. These areas are near two of the larger schools in Boston, but are still cheaper than living within the city limits. These areas are near two of the larger schools in Boston, but are still cheaper than living within the city limits. The area from Park Drive to Fenway Park doesn’t see quite as much foot traffic from students.
While some residents of the Fenway neighborhood blame students for higher noise levels on weekend nights, property damage and litter on the streets, students should also get credit for all the good they do in the area. It is not uncommon to find Northeastern students (or students from other local colleges) volunteering their time and energy to help improve the quality of life in the Fenway area. The improved quality of life is something that community members and students can enjoy collectively.
The Fenway area is changing, there is no doubt. As more students seek housing in the area, there are bound to be a few issues with neighbors. This is not unique to Northeastern, or the Fenway. In any neighborhood, students and residents need to find a balance that make sense to all sides.
If the area has as many students as the study states, but still remains a fairly quiet, beautiful place to live, then the students living there are well-versed in acting neighborly towards their fellow Bostonians.
For an area that is so close to one of the largest universities in Boston, it is nice for the residents of the Fenway area to have a quiet place to live and enjoy their lives, something Northeastern students should be proud of.
