Campus Master Plan
PHASE 2 CONSULTATION SUMMARY
NOVEMBER 2017
This document has been prepared for the University of Saskatchewan as part of the planning process for the Campus Master Plan.
Our thanks to Matt Wolsfeld for “conducting” the engagement events with his musical interludes. It’s what makes the University of Saskatchewan unique!
D I A LO G + WAT T Co n s u l t i n g G ro u p + E C S 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND 5 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Project Overview 7 2.
ENGAGEMENT
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2.1 Phase 2 Consultation Events 9 2.1.1 Working Groups Workshop 11 2.1.2 Indigenous Community Workshop 13 2.1.3 Stakeholder Workshop 15 2.1.4 Public Open House 17 3.
SUMMARY OF WHAT WE HEARD
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3.1 The Vision 19 3.2 Principles and Supportive “Big Moves” 21
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1. BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction In 2017, the University of Saskatchewan initiated the development of a Campus Master Plan intended to shape the growth and direction of the physical campus for the next 30 years. The 2017 Campus Master Plan will build on the efforts of past plans and comprehensively integrate current initiatives and new ideas, developed through a collaborative and inclusive engagement process with a variety of stakeholders. The Plan will guide the future placement and character of new buildings, along with renovations and additions to existing ones; the location, character, and use of existing and new open spaces; and, the hierarchy, character, and role of streets, pedestrian paths, bicycle routes and other movement systems, and all viewed through a sustainable lens. The University of Saskatchewan retained DIALOG Inc. to lead the consultant team, providing campus master planning, design, and public engagement expertise. DIALOG is working with WATT Consulting Group, who are providing transportation expertise, and ECS, who are providing education spatial planning analysis and expertise. This document provides an overview of outcomes from the Phase 2 engagement events and a summary of what we heard which include a Vision and guiding Principles for the Campus Master Plan, and “Big Moves� for design, which will be used to guide the development of the Draft Campus Master Plan. The summary is not intended to be a verbatim recording of the expressed ideas and insights, but reflects the general consensus on the aspirations and opportunities for the campus shared during events, which provides a direction for Plan development.
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1.2 Project Overview The University of Saskatchewan has initiated a process to develop a Campus Master Plan that will guide how the university, and its constituent properties, will grow and develop over the next 25-30 years. This is a critical moment in the university’s history. It is an opportunity to take stock of priorities, objectives, and aspirations, and develop a comprehensive, sustainable vision for the future development of the campus. The Campus Master Plan will provide a sustainable Vision, Principles and Policy Frameworks to guide decisions on future campus development, including: • the protection and enhancement of existing heritage buildings and open space assets; • the placement and character of new buildings, building renovations, and expansions; • the use, location, and character of new open spaces on campus, and the enhancement of existing open spaces and natural features; • the hierarchy, character, and role of streets, paths and movement networks, including increased mobility options, and enhanced existing and new connections on the campus, as well as to surrounding areas and the city at large; • the integration of sustainable measures in all aspects of design – built form, open space, and mobility; and, • the opportunity for campus Indigenization in all aspects of design. A major consideration of the Campus Master Plan will be addressing sustainability, and developing a sustainable approach for the existing campus and future growth, in terms of financial, social, cultural, and environmental ramifications. The Campus Master Plan will be complemented by the Space Plan that addresses the utilization of internal building spaces, and building facilities, in consideration with the overall Vision for the Campus Master Plan.
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1.3 Project Process The Campus Master Plan will be undertaken in four phases. This document was produced as part of the second phase of the process, which included Preliminary Concept Plan development and a campus space planning assessment. During the first phase of the project, several events and engagements were undertaken to understand the issues of and opportunities for the Campus Master Plan, including stakeholder interviews, an online survey, and a number of pop-up open houses around campus. In addition, a range of background research and analysis was undertaken to better understand the campus history and past plans, the current campus and community context, and future initiatives and aspirations. From these initial discussions, a variety of opportunities emerged to inform the second phase, which includes development of a Vision and Guiding Principles, along with key design directions to shape the Plan. The diagram below outlines the project process, including the evolution of the Campus Master Plan from the development of an initial Vision and Principles, to Concept Plan and supporting Policy Frameworks, to Plan Implementation and Phasing.
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3
PHASE 4
Develop Plan Vision and Principles, identify opportunities for change and key priorities to inform the Plan.
Develop Draft Concept Plan and Big Moves, identify preliminary policy directions for the Plan.
Prepare Campus Master Plan and Plan Frameworks, including Plan policies.
Finalize Campus Master Plan and Space Plan.
Stakeholder Interviews & Pop-up Open Houses (Jun. 2017)
Workshop & Open House (early Oct. 2017)
Workshop & Open House (Jan. 2018)
Presentation to U of S Governing Bodies
WE ARE HERE
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2. ENGAGEMENT 2.1 Phase 2 Consultation Events The following consultation events were held as part of Phase 2: • • • •
Working Groups Workshop, held on September, 26, 2017 Indigenous Community Workshop, held on September, 26, 2017 Stakeholder Workshop, held on September, 27, 2017 Public Open House, held on September, 27, 2017 Participants: • University of Saskatchewan Students, Faculty, and Staff • Central Urban Metis Nation • Graduate Student Association • University of Saskatchewan Student Union • U of S Sustainability Office • City of Saskatoon Staff • Meewasin Valley Authority Staff • Innovation Place Staff • U of S Retirees • U of S Planning and Priorities Committee • U of S Corporate Administration
Working Group Participation
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2.1.1 WORKING GROUPS WORKSHOP: VISION, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND BIG MOVES DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2017. 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM LOCATION: C280 ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (THE GREEN ROOM), 105 ADMINISTRATION PLACE. THE WORKSHOP: The workshop objective was to develop a Vision (Vision Statement) and Guiding Principles, along with key design directions to shape the development of the Draft Campus Master Plan. Participants reviewed and discussed the information presented by the Consultant Team, including the opportunities of the 2003 Plan that should be carried forward, current initiatives and design aspirations, and “What We Heard” in Phase 1. The groups reviewed best practices in campus master planning, then worked to affirm/refine the ”Big Moves” design opportunities and/or add new ideas. This process was facilitated by the Consultant Team and members of the University Project Team. Participants were asked to roll up their sleeves with the Consultant Team and University Project Team, in small groups, and with markers and trace paper in hand, share their ideas through text and drawings. WORKSHOP FORMAT: The Workshop began with a presentation by the consultant team and followed with two facilitated and interactive small-group workshop sessions.
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2.1.2 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY WORKSHOP: VISION, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND BIG MOVES DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2017. 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM LOCATION: GORDON OAKES RED BEAR STUDENT CENTRE, 5 CAMPUS DR. THE WORKSHOP: The workshop objective was to develop a Vision (Vision Statement) and Guiding Principles, along with key design directions to shape the development of the Master Plan. Participants reviewed and discussed the information presented by the Consultant Team, including current initiatives and design aspirations, and “What We Heard” in Phase 1. Reviewing best practices in campus master planning and campus Indigenization, the groups worked through to affirm/refine the ”Big Moves” design opportunities and/or add new ideas. This process will be facilitated by the Consultant Team and members of the Project Team. Participants were asked to roll up their sleeves with the Consultant Team and University Project Team, in small groups, and with markers and trace paper in hand, share their text and drawing ideas. WORKSHOP FORMAT: The Workshop began with an acknowledgment of our presence on Treaty Six lands and the traditional home of the Metis, President and Elders welcome, followed by a presentation by the consultant team. After the presentations, participants were assemble into small group talking circles and worked through two facilitated and interactive workshop sessions. QUESTIONS EXPLORED: • How can the Vision, Principles and design opportunities for the Plan be inclusive of Indigenous values? • How can the design of the physical campus (open spaces, buildings, and movement) respect and promote Indigenous culture and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for students, faculty, staff and the broader Indigenous community? • Are there other opportunities to engage the broader Indigenous community to encourage their use of the campus, strengthen relationships, and create new synergies for the betterment of the Indigenous community?
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2.1.3 STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: VISION, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND BIG MOVES DATE: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017. 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM LOCATION: 1005 EDUCATION BUILDING (EDUCATION STUDENT LOUNGE), 28 CAMPUS DR. THE WORKSHOP: The workshop objective was to develop a Vision (Vision Statement) and Guiding Principles, along with key design directions to shape the development of the Draft Campus Master Plan. Participants reviewed and discussed the information presented by the Consultant Team, including current initiatives and design aspirations, and “What We Heard” in Phase 1. The groups reviewed best practices in campus master planning, then worked to affirm/ refine the ”Big Moves” design opportunities and/or add new ideas. This process was facilitated by the Consultant Team and members of the University Project Team. Participants were asked to roll up their sleeves with the Consultant Team and University Project Team, in small groups, and with markers and trace paper in hand, share their text and drawing ideas. SESSION 1: VISION AND PRINCIPLES Groups reflected on their visions and aspirations for the campus and identified the key words, ideas, and objectives that should be expressed in a Vision and Planning Principles for the Plan. SESSION 2: CONCEPT PLAN AND BIG MOVES Participants were reassembled in their groups to draw on the “what we heard”, best practices, and precedents from the presentation to identify some of the “Big Moves” that will shape the Plan. Groups were asked to consider and illustrate how the campus be structured and designed to respond to the Principles and emerging Vision.
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2.1.4 PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE: VISION, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND BIG MOVES DATE: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017. 4:00PM – 8:00PM LOCATION: LOUIS’ LOFT, 93 CAMPUS DR. THE OPEN HOUSE: Interactive Panel Discussions - The Open House was structured as an open forum in which participants can drop-in and engage in discussions with the Project Team around the interactive panels. The Project Team, including the Consultants and University Project Team, were available throughout the evening to discuss the project and answer questions during the event. PRESENTATION - A half hour presentation and question and answer period provided an overview of the process to date, the panel content, and next steps. Participants continued to mingle at the panels with the Project Team before and after the presentation. WORKSHOP OUTCOMES - The outcomes of earlier held workshops were displayed at the Open House to get public feedback on the workshop findings.
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Working Group Workshop - Table Discussion
Workshop Ideas Mapping
Stakeholder Workshop - Group Discussion
Stakeholder Workshop - Report Back
Interactive Panel Ideas
Open House - Discussion with Students
Workshop Ideas Mapping
Indigenous Stakeholder Workshop
Interactive Panel Ideas
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3. Summary of What We Heard The following provides a cumulative summary of “What We Heard” from the Phase 1 and Phase 2 events, including stakeholder interviews, pop-up events, workshops, open houses, and surveys. The summary includes a Vision Statement, Guiding Principles and supportive Big Moves design ideas. These will be used to inform the design of the Draft Concept Plan and will be the basis for development of the Campus Master Plan Policy Frameworks. These components will be further refined in the Phase 3 engagement events and included in the Draft Campus Master Plan Document.
3.1 The Vision
“TAWAW” - Doors Always Open... Cree Translation The Vision for the University of Saskatchewan begins with “Tawaw”, a community oriented place that is always open, inviting, and inclusive to all. The Vision integrates history, culture, community, education, with place...the open spaces, the river, the streets, the agricultural lands, and the built form, to create a unique and beautiful campus. The Campus will be a safe, sustainable, compact, and complete environment that is welcoming and accessible. It will accommodate a diverse range of educational, pedagogical, social, physical, and cultural needs. It will be a walkable, permeable and connected place, bridging campus and community through the enhancements of the public realm, reflecting coordinated and collaborative efforts with the City of Saskatoon. The Campus will showcase quality, leadership, sustainability, and resilience in all aspects of design, with quality learning and academic spaces, signature entryways, pedestrian and cyclist connections, public realm animation, seasonal activity, transit mobility and linkages, and the preservation of cherished built form, agricultural character and the natural environment. The university’s identity will be built on creating a vibrant, healthy, active, year-round campus and destination, with unique experiences for both the university and the City of Saskatoon for decades to come.
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3.2 Principles and Supportive “Big Moves” The following provides a list of key principles that supports the Vision for the physical campus. The Principles are the “should” statements that are to be continuously reviewed in the design development of the Plan and through Master Plan implementation. The “Big Moves” are the actions that respond to the Principles, toward the realization of the Vision, and provide a framework for design of the Campus Master Plan. CREATE A COMMUNITY CONNECTED ENVIRONMENT TAWAW - Doors always open! The university should be an inclusive and welcoming place for the university community, the surrounding community and the city as a whole. Big Moves • Create a “walk-in” environment. Improve campus accessibility and wayfinding to encourage greater engagement with adjacent areas and the wider city. “People flow is critical”. • Maintain the intimate small town feel on campus but design to be welcoming to the community. • Create new spaces for cultural events, conferences, performances and social programming. Consider use of the heritage barn for congregation, conferences and meeting rooms. • Leverage new and existing athletics facilities to bring community onto campus. Athletic facilities/amenities are opportunities to integrate and welcome the community and other institutions – keep the running track on campus. • Create opportunities to increase daycare locations on campus – for staff and community (large family based staff population on campus). • Museums and libraries are opportunities to connect with the community. These uses and places need to be highly visible and accessible on campus. • Create an environment that “brings people back” to the campus – alumni, faculty, and staff.
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Create a marketing strategy to let people know about the activities that happen on campus. Create opportunities for public horticulture on campus (main gardens recently taken away for development) – invite the community in.
CREATE A COMPLETE COMMUNITY The University of Saskatchewan, the City and surounding neighbourhoods should embrace density and consider the mix of campus uses and functions, the users, and the types of buildings and public spaces to foster diversity, integration, and community building. Big Moves • Allow for an integrated functioning of all academic programming, commercial, social and cultural activities. • Provide a range of affordable housing options for students and staff on campus. Include options for families and adults to support a full range of demographics. • Provide supporting services such as daycare, food, services and recreational amenities). • Create opportunities to keep students on campus (especially first year) – housing, services, amenities, recreational opportunities; and in the area – accessibility, connectivity and transit. • Consider opportunities for community/market housing options. • Consider the university endowment lands north and south as an opportunity to create a complete community environment with mixed-use neighbourhoods surrounding the university, providing a critical population mass and support for new services and amenities. • Renovate or replace aging housing stock on campus.
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INDIGENIZE THE CAMPUS The university and the community should be committed to campus Indigenization which should be reflected in design and programming of the physical campus. Big Moves • Celebrate Indigenous history and culture on campus in programs and events, and through the design of open spaces and buildings – consider naming and other opportunities to visibly enhance aboriginal cultural identity. • Demonstrate culturally relevant design e.g. designing a plaza on campus to celebrate Treaty 6. • Create buildings, programs and open spaces that respond to cultural needs and provide dedicated spaces for socialization and ceremony. SUPPORT HEALTH AND WELLBEING The university should support the health and wellbeing of the university and surrounding community by serving as a recreational destination, as well as a food and amenity resource. Big Moves • Create opportunities for food amenities on campus, including more grocery and local food options. • Continue to provide and expand services and amenities on campus including health clinics and day care. • Consider land opportunities for food production. Opportunity to engage and support the community (area is considered a “food desert”). • Promote walking and cycling on campus with enhanced walking and cycling pathways and trails for use in all seasons. The campus is a great place for the community to enjoy the “green environment and river”. • Provide healthy comfortable places for recreation, study, socialization, and exercise.
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CREATE A CAMPUS FOR LEARNING AND RESEARCH The university should build its identity as a learning and research environment with an emphasis on quality and innovative teaching, pedagogical educational opportunities, in the context of a quality environment. Big Moves • Become a demonstration campus for sustainable technologies – the “living laboratory” – crop science, wind energy. • Design the campus as a pedagogical/experiential/ demonstration campus for sustainability and sustainable technologies – “the learning/teaching laboratory” – space for field courses, educational play space, outdoor class space, enhance the AG and Plant Sciences programs. • Design the open spaces as learning environments accommodating educational programs, research, experimental, and experiential opportunities. • Make learning a part of every aspect of the physical environment through outdoor teaching and demonstration labs, by showcasing sustainable initiatives, by planting native plants and trees, and by reflecting Indigenous and local culture. CREATE A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT CAMPUS “Sustainability needs to be the lens through which we write the CMP, and that drives all aspects of design.” The university should be committed to sustainable, environmental, social, educational, and economic growth. The landscape, public realm and built environment should provide opportunities for outstanding contributions to sustainability, research, and innovation. Big Moves • Develop the campus in a compact way – intensification of the core. • Design buildings to emphasize sustainability and resiliency through architecture and design features – create a culture shift in thinking.
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Design buildings to reflect resource efficient qualities, timelessness, sustainability – Law extension as example – quality environment, great social spaces, better air and light quality. Continue to infuse sustainability in all university streams including the CMP (five pillars of Sustainability Plan) – governance, operations, education, research, community outreach. Design a Plan to reflect a “long term vision for sustainability and of a sustainable system”, connecting “water, buildings, open space, movement, community, and city”. Use the land for sustainable projects that are economically, socially, and environmentally beneficial to the university. Embed sustainability in long term and short term decision making processes. Shift the design focus to adaptation and resilience, and away from just mitigation and fiscal sustainability – need to address other aspects which should be reflected in the master plan. Design must consider ways in which to reduce costs in the short and long term – efficiencies, energy, water consumption, etc. Establish synergies with the City to increase sustainability opportunities on campus – transit, roadways, access. Need community and City involvement in sustainable initiatives – eg. Transportation. Move forward with current initiatives: President’s Office of Sustainability, UofS Climate Action Plan Commitment, Campus Sustainability Plan, Energy Management Planning - Energy and Water Conservation Policy, Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. Apply Indigenous Principles to design – being connected to the land for example. Establish a scoring card for the Plan, to achieve sustainability goals and to meet sustainability objectives.
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CREATE A COMPACT, CONNECTED AND ACCESSIBLE CAMPUS The university should be connected to the city and the community through multiple active transportation methods such as walking, cycling and transit, supported by a clear hierarchy of streets and wayfinding strategies that provides convenient access and an ease of movement to and from campus, and on campus in all seasons. Big Moves • Create a compact campus for efficiencies in getting people around and connecting to buildings, on-campus destinations and amenities. Consider an on-campus shuttle service. • Increase connectivity between buildings (especially in a winter climate) – enhance existing tunnels (signage and wayfinding, aesthetics), consider other options at-grade both internal and external, and above grade. • Design a permeable and connected campus, allowing people to intuitively find their way to and across campus (e.g. wayfinding, sightlines) and encourage them to be connected to and part of the community. • Establish a comprehensive and cohesive campus wayfinding and signage strategy - beneficial to building community, creating safe and welcoming environments, enabling business viability on campus. • Define a hierarchy of campus entrances that provide clarity on arrival and a sense of entry into the campus. • Create internal gateways that transition the precinct areas to improve internal campus circulation. • Develop a north and south campus route with a campus shuttle service, with stops stationed at campus centres. • Design for Universal Accessibility. • Establish dedicated cycling infrastructure and amenities. • Explore options to integrate future BRT along College Drive to create a “front door” and entrance to the campus on College Drive.
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Create a more safe, pedestrian friendly environment on College Drive and Preston Ave. with reduced speeds, reduced asphalt, improved and better timed crossings, and dedicated bike lanes, especially as the South Campus Quarter continues to grow. Create better connected and improved pathways, and incorporate winter design strategies to encourage walking and cycling year round and improve the outdoor pedestrian experience. Design to support not only physical connectivity but also intellectual and social connectivity. Improve difficult connections to campus from city bridges, across College Drive and create new river crossing opportunities. Address the hospital as current barrier to pedestrian circulation. Enhance 108 Street as a pedagogical “story telling” passageway from the neighbourhood east, through the fields and campus, and to the water’s edge.
CONSIDER PLACEMAKING - ENHANCE PRECINCT SYNERGIES AND USES The Campus should be a safe, vibrant, animated place throughout with unique (precinct) destinations and public spaces. Big Moves • Preserve the historic campus precinct - buildings and open spaces assets. • Integrate the six signature area with the development of the precincts. • Create multiple locations of activity (hubs) that will animate and engage areas throughout the campus, such as the Education Faculty and the river’s edge that are on the outskirts of campus for example, so that these environments feel comfortable, integrated, and safe. • Create a 24/7 campus environment – consider late studying and classes, amenities; plan for extended class times, additional residences, destination uses – museum, library, open spaces. • Relocate the Transit Mall to make better use of Place Riel as an animated and pedestrian oriented “front door” hub.
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Consider the design of the campus after hours – accessing parking; connecting to and between buildings, parking and open spaces; and to and from campus. Embrace differences and distinctiveness but also enhance the interfaces, transitions, and connectivity between – need to become more of a cohesive campus. Increase the connectivity, ease of access, and wayfinding to Innovation Place as it is dependent on daily business visitors. Design Innovation Place as a more pedestrian friendly place. Intensify the core campus. Develop the College Quarter as a mixed-use residential hub, mixing residential with amenities such as a restaurant or cafe, food services, and open spaces. Develop the north endowment lands as a mixed higher density residential hub. Find opportunities to make the Hospital precinct more connected and permeable.
ENHANCE CAMPUS IDENTITY The university’s identity should be built on education, community, heritage, and place, and strengthened through integrated, collaborative, and synergistic relationships between the university, City and community. Big Moves • Explore campus-wide strategies which will strengthen campus identity such as cohesive built form and landscape design, sustainability goals, and community building goals. • Recognize and celebrate campus heritage buildings, the river, and the agricultural context. • Embrace and celebrate the agricultural presence and programs – rural in an urban context. • Create an environment that “brings people back” to the campus – alumni, faculty, and staff. • Commercialize and showcase research on campus. • Build identity with sustainability as the driver – it is an expectation of the campus from students, staff, faculty, and visitors.
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CREATE A QUALITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT The university should be defined by buildings that reflect quality, timelessness and sustainability, while preserving the university’s heritage identity and character of place. Big Moves • Preserve the heritage building assets. Explore opportunities to repurpose the historical structures, such as the heritage barn for congregation, conferences and meeting rooms. • Design new buildings to respect and acknowledge the historical Gothic Collegiate and Tyndall Stone architectural aesthetic. • Design buildings to create quality environments with great social spaces, better air and light quality. • Increase the amount of internal social spaces that are bright, airy, accessible, lots of seating and access to technology, and connected to the outdoors. • Build in flexibility to address changing needs over time – flexible classroom space, changing uses – shift from single use/single faculty oriented use. • Create a good balance of old and new buildings (architectural styles). • Provide recommendations that respond to the integration of contemporary architectural styles that are respective of the heritage fabric. PRESERVE THE NATURAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPE AND CREATE A DIVERSE OPEN SPACE NETWORK The university should be defined by a diverse network of beautiful, innovative, flexible, inspiring and welcoming open spaces that includes the preservation of the natural heritage landscape - the river corridor, the Bowl and courtyards, forest, and agriculture lands, integrated with new spaces and green streets to meet a variety of campus and community needs.
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Big Moves • Preserve and enhance the existing open spaces and landscapes, especially the trees and the Bowl that are defining features of the campus. • Improve the connections and accessibility to the Meewasin trail along the river’s edge and the river, which is a cherished part of the campus. • Improve campus frontage and presence to embrace the river corridor, enhancing its assets such as the outdoor art gallery, and the natural topographical features, and consider new opportunities such as an open theatre. • Create new diversity of new active, passive, and “intimate” open spaces (internal and external) that offer places for social gathering, recreation, children’s play, special events, student activity, and napping and quiet contemplation. • Maintain and enhance the “Prairie”, the agricultural and natural environments in the context of new open space development • Maintain the agricultural fields east primarily for crop science research and for pedagogical research. • Consider opportunities to use the agricultural lands (south) as a potential source of food production and supply. • Build on the tree nursery as an opportunity for fruit tree and shrub plant production. • Foster a physical and pedagogical relationship and connectivity with the natural environment, specifically to the river valley and its ecosystems. • Weave and integrate the natural landscape throughout the campus so that it is visibly and physically accessible to all. • Protect the riverbank’s sensitive vegetation and geotechnical considerations. • The design and location of new development must sensitively transition and connect to natural spaces. • Design of interior and exterior spaces should be considered in conjunction, enticing people to experience open spaces in all seasons. • Design the open spaces with indigenous plants. Create a program for native planting on campus and promote it as a visibly sustainable, educational, and pedagogical initiative.
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Design open spaces to be innovative, flexible, inspiring and welcoming to the community, and should promote innovation and creativity. Create opportunities for “accidental’ experiences of the campus and open spaces, tied to a comfortable walking environment. Enhance the mid-campus spaces. Improve on what seems like “junky or service oriented open spaces”. Integrate stormwater management in open space design – paving permeability, LID, and rain gardens. Match recreational amenities/resources with current and future university and community demands - changing needs and demographics, community recreational gaps – cricket field, outdoor basketball, year-round hockey, running and cycling trails, and children’s play space/summer camps. Consider open spaces to accommodate dogs – adults and families with dogs, therapy dogs (peer health mentors).
DEVELOP A PARKING STRATEGY AND ENCOURAGE ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION MODES The university should endeavor to create a parking plan that will reduce parking demand on campus, reduce the surface parking footprint, maximize mobility options, and minimize environmental harm. Big Moves • Enhance transportation demand management strategies to address campus parking and traffic and promote Transit Oriented Development (TOD) on campus. • Locate the majority of campus parking resources at the perimeter for convenient access and to create a pedestrian oriented campus. • Provide mobility options such as a park and ride, a shuttle bus service, car share or car-to-go to minimize cars on campus and create a more pedestrian oriented environment. Link the shuttle bus service to the BRT transit service. • Reduce the demand for parking by increasing transit and cycling opportunities, as well as the level of service.
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Encourage cycling on campus by adding amenities such as dedicated cycling infrastructure, and provide amenities such as lockers, and snow clearing, heated and covered shelters, more bike racks (in the right locations), showers, maintenance stations. Consider parking structures as part of a parking strategy. Commission artists to paint lockers to make them more attractive and to encourage use. Improve the parking and transit services to address community and visitor access and use of the campus. Consider timing and location of implementation of mobility options and amenities for improved success (many scenarios have been tried but have been unsuccessful – need incentives convenience, great servicing). Support improved bus service to the campus, including options to integrate the design of future BRT with the campus, and increase and enhance transit frequency.
CREATE A FLEXIBLE, EFFICIENT, AND ADAPTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT The university should strive for a sustainable approach to campus and spatial design to maximize both interior and exterior space utilization and efficiency, and to be adaptive to accommodate a variety of changes to seasonal, community, educational, economical, and environmental needs. Big Moves • Create more flexible spaces to support a greater range of uses – offering opportunities for study, learning, gathering, socializing, conference, event space. • Consider the change in student needs, “space as the extension of the classroom” – flexible space for student clubs and organizations, and booked space. • Build in flexibility to address changing needs over time. When addressing space utilization, consider: • time of teaching – expand beyond 10-2 and Fridays, • location of classes, • coordination of class size to number of students,
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projected student population targets – How big does the university want to be? • On-line courses, distance education, continuing education, • Shared and collaborative lab space for multi-users and move away from single use, and • Interdisciplinary teaching. Provide community and academic space for the Museum, libraries, colleges, etc. in addition to their primary needs and make these spaces connected and easily accessible by providing parking, transit, and wayfinding. Undertake a holistic review of space for the library - the Library Master Plan. Create opportunities for child friendly, work/study friendly spaces, 24/7 space utilization, and research commons. Integrate other services such as community outreach. Enhance off site faculties (eg. the Architecture Faculty) to support and enhance the communities in which they reside – Architecture as catalyst for Downtown development, and to make the university more accessible.
BUILD ON CURRENT INITIATIVES AND ONGOING ENGAGEMENT “Nothing About Us Without Us” is the new standard of business. The CMP should be the opportunity to test drive the university’s commitment to ongoing engagement. It should be treated as “a framework for consultation and collaboration” and must include engagement with a variety of groups, including Campus Elders. Big Moves • Implement a regular 5-10 year review of the plan, bring forward applicable/relevant recommendations/initiatives of the 2003 plan. • Integrate ideas and planning initiatives that are currently on the table – Building Plans, Space Planning, Athletics Planning, College Quarter, etc.
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Campus Master Plan