We predicted a few weeks ago that Kendall Square was actively aspiring to become the next hot restaurant neighborhood. Well now they’re trying to become an “edgy” nightlife destination, too. Thankfully, they’ve got an intellectual powerhouse like MIT on board to help with the initiative. More ahead.
No, the scholars at MIT aren’t exactly Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. But the Crimson reports that the city’s ordering MIT to fork over $175,000 to hire analysts to best figure out how to give locals a place to play. Cambridge City Council members lament that, “compared to the other squares in Cambridge, Kendall Square lacks appeal as a destination for social activities.”
City officials also want the school to build more graduate housing in the neighborhood, hoping it will liven things up. Because, you know, those gin-soaked MIT grad students are renowned for their friskiness. “Kendall Square has got to have its own edgy personality,” one council member was quoted as saying.
What, upscale pizza isn’t edgy? A cafe designed for social networking doesn’t whisper promises of decadence and possible depravity after one or two well-mixed cocktails? Well, OK, perhaps not. What kind of after-hours temptations would you like to see in Kendall Square? [Crimson]
