HAA 170G - Luke Calamita

8 Harvard Buildings for People With Megalophobia to Avoid Megalophobia is an irrational fear of large objects, which for me, manifests as being terrified that large or precarious structures will fall on me, and/or that I will fall off of them. I have compiled a list of eight buildings for people to avoid on campus if they suffer from the same affliction, or for lovers of large and seemingly unsupported structures to visit if they please. 8. Science Center The Science Center is not THAT big or tall, coming in at only 8 stories. However, it does have several rooftop terraces with only minimal protection from falling. In addition, the presence of an observatory is another reason for megalophobes to avoid, as staring into the sky or space for too long can give one the fear of falling into their immensity.  Science Center, photo courtesy of Harvard University 7. Harvard Art Museums  Also not very tall at only 5 stories, the gaping atrium within, and delicate glass pyramid atop, Ren...

 For this week's post, I went to Davis Square, which is right over the border from North Cambridge in Somerville. Davis and Porter Squares have been connected to Harvard Square and Boston via the Red Line since it was extended in 1984, and this seems to have caused immense social change in the area. An older woman in Davis I once picked up a table from on Craigslist remarked on all the "trendy youth" in the area, perhaps spurred by the exodus from university housing that COVID created, and how the associated rent increases were pushing her out. A hairdresser told me she used to get ridiculed for living in "Slumerville," but now considers her neighborhood to be desirable, save for the lack of street parking.    Kenney Park in Davis Square, adjacent to the Community Path, photo by me  Anecdotally, much has changed and continues to change. Another boon to development was the installation of the Somerville Community Path, a rail trail on the former Fitchburg Cutoff ...