In 1970, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) purchased 27 acres of industrial acreage in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a mixed-use development that would consist of office space, research and development facilities, retail stores, and a hotel. The Cambridgeport community encouraged MIT to to incorporate housing in the master plan. They also advocated for the establishment of a special zoning district for University Park which mandated that any development on the site include 400 units of housing, of which 1/3 or more be provided for low- and moderate-income residents.

MIT leased a 1.76 acre parcel in their mixed use development at a reduced cost to a non-profit developer to assist in the development of mixed income housing. The 150 unit development located between Central Square and the MIT campus consists of three garden/courtyard residential blocks and a small public park interconnected by a continuous pedestrian walkway.

Goody, Clancy & Associates was selected in 1990 to design the first phase of the development. Auburn Court is a totally integrated residential community with no distinction made in unit type, size or location relative to household income, race, or ethnic background.

Auburn Court's success is the culmination of years of dedicated effort by concerned citizens, neighborhood and community groups, supportive governmental agencies and authorities, private corporations and individuals, and supportive leasors in both MIT and Forest City Development. It was through dedication, determination, and perseverance, that these individuals and organizations were able to bring about change in thier immediate community, as well as in the public policies of the greater community at large. Auburn Court is an example of how a complex urban residential development can succeed if there is advocacy and support at all levels of government and how attractive, desirable, totally-integrated mixed-income housing can be developed to function successfully within, and as an enhancement to, the larger community.

In addition to low and moderate income subsidies, the initial financing creatively combined 13 sources of seed money for initial development costs and 11 different sources of permanent financing.

Support household and neighborhood fit:

Auburn Court completes the broad mix of uses in University Park, thus making this new mixed use area more compatible with the character and mixture of uses which dominate the immediately surrounding urban area. Auburn Court is designed to relate to the scale and ambiance of the older Cambridgeport neighborhood, and yet serve as a transition to University Park, the large-scale, mixed use development directly adjacent.

Auburn Court is designed as a combination of flats and duplex units with typical groupings being three stories to reflect the character and scale of the surrounding residential neighborhood. Only those units facing the park are planned as four stories, and stepping to six stories to frame the pedestrian entrance to University Park. The housing units are planned to maintain the streetwall setback, entry stoop, and entrance sequence consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. The number of street entrances were maximized and each unit has direct access to the courtyard located within the block. The majority of units have dedicated outdoor space in the form of a porch, balcony, or at-grade patio.

The buildings, although steel framed, are sheathed primarily in various wood sidings and wood trim, again relating to the character of the surrounding neighborhood. Color is used to create variation, modulation, and interest, while the simple, economical building forms meet the necessarily stringent budget constraints.

Promote energy and resource efficiency:

Ensure healthy indoor environments:

Auburn Court was designed and constructed to ameliorate contaminated site conditions which were the result of the previous decades of industrial use. Contaminated soil was buried and covered at legally acceptable depths under parking areas, etc., or removed from the site at considerable expense.