Tufts University and its surrounding community exist in mutualistic symbiosis. Like bees pollinating flowers, Tufts students flock to Davis Square to patronize the restaurants, bars, and other commercial establishments. Tufts students work jobs in Davis, live in the square post-graduation, and become direct stakeholders in the Somerville community as early as their upperclassman years, moving into off-campus housing that surrounds the university.
To bolster this relationship, Tufts provides a shuttle to students from campus to Davis Square and hosts events such as Community Day and the Tisch College Day of Service to give back to Medford and Somerville. Supporting the surrounding area’s education, the university awarded nearly $3.2 million in undergraduate financial aid to residents of Somerville and Medford in 2024. Somerville’s Economic Development Division of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) maintained the economic benefits of having an elite academic institution in its community, citing the “vibrancy” that “students, staff, and visitors” bring to Davis Square and its “contribut[ion] to Somerville’s reputation as a hub for education, research, and innovation.” Mayor of Somerville Katjana Ballantyne similarly expressed that “Tufts is an important part of Somerville’s identity, and we deeply value our long-standing relationship.”
The Davis Square community echoed these sentiments. Bill Mahoney, store manager at CVS in Davis Square, expressed the great frequency at which Tufts students shop at CVS. He noted that CVS sees a significant increase in sales revenue between the months of August and May, when Tufts students are back on campus. Mahoney sees an overall positive having Tufts in the area, even commenting that Tufts students are “a lot of good kids.” Similarly, Sergio Cuabra, a barista at Gong cha, stated that Tufts students create a line “around the corner” and submit large amounts of catering orders, speaking to the significant role Tufts students play in the franchise’s success.
Even with Tufts’s positive economic contributions, Somerville and Medford still experience the problems plaguing cities worldwide. Chief among these, Tufts’s surrounding communities are facing a severe housing and homelessness crisis.
Alex Friedman, a third-year student at Tufts University, attended a Somerville town hall meeting on September 29th. In conversation with Mayor Ballantyne and Somerville department leaders, residents primarily raised concerns over the homelessness issue, which the National Alliance to End Homelessness directly links to inflated housing costs and the displacement of residents. One resident, according to Friedman, expressed strong feelings that Somerville had not done enough to address this serious issue.
A primary driver of this crisis in Medford and Somerville is the lack of units to support their large populations. Somerville, covering just over four square miles, is the most densely populated city in New England. It boasts a population of 82,149 (2024), yet the city contains just 34,802 housing units. Despite having double the land area, Medford’s housing falls further short of demand, leaving a population of 59,898 (2024) to compete for 23,175 units.
Residents’ competition for scarce units raises rent prices. Though the rate of rent increase has slowed between 2020 and 2022, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,772 in the Greater Boston municipalities, including Medford and Somerville. According to the City of Somerville’s plan for city development, SomerVision2040, about “35% of renter households are cost-burdened,” which it defines as “rent or mortgage tak[ing] up more than 30% of a household’s income.” This has naturally led to housing insecurity and even to displacement and homelessness. Citing rising rents, Teagan Mustone, a third-year student at Tufts University and local babysitter indicated that many of the young families living in the Medford area are looking to find housing farther north where rent is more affordable.
Mayor Ballantyne remarked that part of the city’s solution to both issues would be the construction of more housing units, including a 500-unit high-rise apartment in the middle of Davis Square. Residents and business owners lamented the possible development as compromising the aesthetic of Davis Square. Evan Becker, the manager at J.P. Licks in Davis Square, commented: “There is a part of me that is sad if they built this giant 20-story building in the middle of Davis Square, but we just need more housing.” He remarks that these units are going to have a positive effect on the housing situation in the area “even if those units are…$4,000 a month for a one bedroom [apartment], which is criminal.”
Tufts is not absolved of blame. As a campus housing deficit leaves Tufts students to secure off-campus housing, Medford and Somerville residents are left with approximately 3,000 fewer housing units. The OSPCD’s Housing Division reinforces Tufts’s contribution to the city’s challenges by noting that “many family-sized units are rented to students at higher rates, which can contribute to the displacement of other residents.” However, OSPCD holds that “the university has made substantial efforts to expand on-campus housing.” This likely references Tufts’s ongoing construction of the Boston Avenue Student Residence Facility, which is estimated to house 660 upperclassmen following its completion in August 2027. Tufts proclaims that this project is meant to free up housing in Medford and Somerville for “working families in our community.” The Housing Division notes that the construction of these units will help reduce pressure on the off-campus rental market.
Though it appears that this will improve Tufts’s contribution to the Somerville and Medford housing crisis, it is important to note that Tufts enrollment has increased by an average of 3.96% annually from 2019 to 2024. If Tufts continues to enroll at this rate (with an enrollment size of nearly 7,000 as of 2024), more than 800 more students will join the Tufts community by 2027 –– likely negating any effects that the Boston Avenue residence may have on the housing market.
As students will likely continue to live off-campus in the Medford and Somerville areas for the foreseeable future, Mustone gives a crucial reminder to her fellow students: we must shed the dichotomy between Tufts students and the “regular people” who live in our surrounding community. Students, she says, must acknowledge that they have as much responsibility for the area’s successes –– and failings –– as the rest of the community. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne summed it up nicely: “Our shared future depends on finding ways that benefit both the university community and the people of Somerville, and our community is committed to that work.”
Photo by TJ Reiter