Week 6: Final Project Ideation & Chatgpt Solutions

 

Potential project Ideas to Explore: 

1. The Evolution of Public Transportation in Cambridge: From Trolleys to Buses




Overview: This paper will trace the history of Cambridge’s transportation system, focusing on the shift from trolleys to buses and how these changes influenced city planning.

Goal: To explore how transportation developments impacted urban expansion, commercial activity, and residential distribution, and how each shift in transit reshaped daily life and mobility patterns.

2. Housing Crisis: Voices from Realtors and Residents

Overview: This project focuses on the perspectives of both realtors and residents struggling with Cambridge’s housing crisis, examining rising rents and property values.

Goal: To gather personal stories that reveal the human impact of the affordability crisis, and analyze policy proposals aimed at creating long-term housing solutions, focusing on both market forces and city initiatives.

3. The Transformation of Kendall Square: From Industrial Zone to Innovation Hub



Overview: This paper explores Kendall Square’s journey from a manufacturing district to a global tech and biotech epicenter.

Goal: To investigate how this transformation affected local employment, housing markets, and community identity, analyzing the socio-economic ripple effects on the wider Cambridge area.


Chatgpt Solutions to Bike Accidents:

Problem: Bicycle accidents in Cambridge are rising due to shared road spaces, unclear lane demarcations, and high traffic volume. A feasible, practical approach is needed to improve safety for cyclists.

Feasible Solutions:

Expand Protected Bike Lanes: Add physically separated bike lanes on major thoroughfares like Massachusetts Avenue and Broadway, where traffic is heaviest.

Improved Intersection Safety: Install advanced bike-specific signals and clear road markings at dangerous intersections (e.g., Central and Harvard Squares), allowing cyclists a dedicated signal phase.

Traffic Calming Measures: Use cost-effective solutions like speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and traffic diversions in residential areas to reduce vehicle speeds.

Shared Street Initiatives: Introduce "bike boulevards" on quieter streets, where low-speed limits and traffic-calming measures make them safer for cyclists. Streets like Concord Avenue and Hampshire Street could benefit from such treatment.

Better Lighting and Signage: Improve street lighting and visibility at high-traffic spots for night cyclists. Enhanced signage around high-cyclist zones would help raise driver awareness.

Bike Lane Maintenance: Prioritize regular maintenance of bike lanes, especially after snowstorms and during construction projects, ensuring that lanes are free from debris and hazards.

Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch city-wide educational campaigns for both cyclists and drivers about road-sharing etiquette, safe riding practices, and the rules of the road.

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