Safety isn't a concern, it's more how long you want to spend walking - plenty of people have no problem walking an hour from downtown back to Central Square after the bars close, if it's a nice enough night.

One mile is usually the cutoff where it's not particularly reasonable, so either you commit to somewhat unreasonable but doable walking, or you get a bike. Definitely don't need a car for a 1.5 mile commute.

Completely different argument and again not out of line with any other area.

Is it better to have a place that’s in line with its zoned 6,000 sqft lots, or a place that is historically so dense that it already exceeds its zoning?

You are arguing that Cambridge is actually more dense than its zoning indicates … which not only moots your initial point about Cambridge being not dense due to zoning (zoning having nothing to do with it, now), but also means Cambridge is underrated generally as the maps don’t reflect the real density.

Anyway, since we moved on from your large lots point and into multi families, the real issue is where density exists and where it can be built. You admit that Cambridge is already so dense that it exceeds its zoning, which is also denser than other towns on the T e.g. Malden. So I assume you aren’t saying Cambridge is egregiously not dense (would be ridiculous to say that right), but rather that nothing is being built compared to the Brooklines, Maldens, Reveres of the world.

Any trip to Kendall, Lechmere/North Point, Alewife would show you huge apartment complexes that weren’t there 5 years ago, with more to come … really only the Seaport compares to Kendall in terms of development and densification.

Basically everywhere is worse than Cambridge in terms of these issues, name a town and it will be the same stuff just worse.

Cambridge is not bad at all, just a popular target.

Look at Malden where 80% of the town is on 6000 sqft min lot size, that they want to make 7,500.

Malden: https://www.cityofmalden.org/DocumentCenter/View/5562/Zoning-Map-FY2022

All of that light yellow is 6,000 sqft.

Cambridge: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/CDD/Maps/Zoning/cddmap_zoning_base_11x17_202102.pdf

The light yellow "A-1" between Harvard and the cemetary is the only 6000 sqft remaining.

Nowhere in the same UNIVERSE much less "egregious".

Bribing neighbors is basically what happens in Cambridge. Oh you want a big lab? Better build a park, community space, donate to the affordable housing fund … then we will approve your variance.

You can live basically anywhere you want on $150k a year as a single person, anything that isn't a brand new building will have rent at $2.5-2.6k a month for a 1 bed. Maybe that rules out the Seaport, but there are places a block from Copley on that budget.

edit: to be constructive, grad students/young single yuppies without kids are all over Cambridge and Somerville (Davis, Inman, Union), if they want to be spendy and trendy they're downtown in the South End, Beacon Hill or Back Bay (in small apartments that are quite expensive but hey its nice), or coming in from your direction via Jamaica Plain.

Nah, it’s gotta be revenue. $3.5m in profit per year is a price to earnings ratio of like 4. Reasonable pricing is closer to 20 generally.