Harvard Business School Students Assist Quincy in MBTA Planning

A team of 22 Business School students has presented the mayor of Quincy with a 300-page report on the MBTA extension's economic effect on his city. The new rapid transit route to the South Shore city of 90,000 is scheduled for completion this fall.

Among the recommendations the group made was the establishment of a renewal authority, the construction of more parking facilities, and the revision of the zoning laws.

Geoffrey Davidson, director of the Quincy Planning Department, suggested the desirability of such a study in a letter last August to Thomas C. Raymond, professor of Business Administration. Raymond mentioned the letter to two students in his first-year MBA course.

The two students-Sam Williams and James Schoerberger-contacted Davidson and recruited 20 of their classmates, and in November the project began.

Their purpose, according to Williams, who was youth director in the 1968 Presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon, was to "try to help Quincy plan ahead rather than have sporadic development which would destroy any unanimity the city might have."

The group divided into six groups to deal with specific problems such as the extension's impact on the downtown business area, the response of Quincy residents to the extension, and the Federal and state funds available for redevelopment.

After 1300 hours of work the group finished the report in January and was invited by Quincy mayor James R. Mc-Intyre to present its findings to a public meeting on February 26. Over 650 people attended the hearing.

According to Schoenberger and Williams, this is the first time that B-School students have become actively involved in urban problems. "We're trying to see that it's done more often." said, Williams. "We're trying to convince B-School students that if business doesn't get concerned, it's going to have problems."