A preliminary plan for Harvard University’s expansion across the Charles River on land surrounding HBS will be the focus of numerous planning meetings this fall involving the University community, the City of Boston, and the Allston neighborhood.

A consulting firm hired by the University unveiled in June a forty-page report outlining design options for the new Allston campus. Of all the issues considered, “effective transportation is the most critical to the overall feasibility of the project,” concluded the report, prepared by the New York urban planning firm Cooper, Robertson & Partners.

The report recommended fast and frequent shuttle service between Cambridge, Allston, and the Longwood Medical Center. It also suggested several transportation options, including new through streets, a new pedestrian bridge across the Charles River, upgrading the Larz Anderson Bridge for pedestrians and adding retail kiosks and bike paths, and construction of a tunnel extension from the MBTA station in Harvard Square under the Charles to Allston.

In addition, the report identified possible Allston sites for the graduate schools of education and public health, for two 500,000-square-foot science buildings, and for graduate housing as well as four new undergraduate houses.

The report represents the first step in giving shape to Harvard’s vision for the Allston expansion. A finished plan is a year or more away, and construction isn’t expected to begin for several years.

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