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| A p
p r o a c h |
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| Campus
Planning
Philosophy |
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SmithGroup JJR’s campus
planning philosophy is founded on the premise that a campus exists as a
place for people, including those who attend as students, those who serve
as education and research professionals, and those who live in the
surrounding community. High
quality campuses are properly organized environments that allow for and
inspire personal, physical, and spiritual growth.
They are also incubators for learning, research, interaction, and
communication. The campus’
quality is measured in how well the physical environment supports its
diverse constituents and functions.
In the end, the campus’ physical environment is a measurement of
the institution's ability to achieve excellence.
SmithGroup JJR’s approach acknowledges this
premise, and seeks to balance the necessary functional requirements and
establish a quality environment that exemplifies each institution’s
unique qualities. To do this,
we work in close collaboration with each institution; celebrating its rich
traditions, history, and culture, and linking these values to tangible
planning recommendations that support the university’s mission.
Because issues are complex and viewpoints varied, we promote
communication and an interdisciplinary team approach to proactively
address each institution’s unique needs.
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| Master
Plan
Purpose |
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The
master plan will establish a framework for coordinating development and
physical change on the campus. This
framework must establish patterns and characteristics that will maintain
the campus’ unique qualities, while at the same time identify
opportunities for growth. Because
the quality of the physical environment has a tremendous influence on the
image of the institution, the master plan also serves as a guide for
shaping the campus environment in support of its academic mission.
The
plan itself is not the only product of the master planning process.
The campus community – especially its leadership – must develop
a clear understanding of, and commitment to, the plan’s basic principles
and concepts. This is
accomplished by stressing participation and interaction throughout the
planning process so that the university can proceed with confidence in
implementing the plan over the years to come.
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| The
following elements are integral to our approach: |
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| Coherence
and Flexibility:
To be useful over a long period of time, the master plan must provide a
coherent and flexible framework for future decision-making.
The plan will have coherence by being based on known, stable
elements such as significant facilities and major infrastructure elements.
The plan will have flexibility by putting as much emphasis on the
uncertainties of the future as on known directions.
We will use the planning process to examine assumptions, recognize
unknowns, and consider the less certain variables such as budgets,
enrollments, and program change. Instead
of assuming a single, most probable outcome, the planning team will
explore ways to address uncertainty and include them as part of the plan
to allow variation and minimize future risks.
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| Participation
and Consensus: Our approach brings faculty, staff, students, and neighbors
together to discuss the full range of issues and options.
By encouraging an active dialogue, the planning process will create
a forum for sharing ideas and for educating the campus community about
existing assets that merit protection, factors that limit development, and
alternative approaches to achieve desired results.
This participation will yield an accurate, responsive plan that is
both widely understood and supported by consensus.
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| Communication:
Essential to all human interaction, communication is the keystone
to a successful planning process. Open
communication will be enabled through a variety of venues including
multiple campus visits, interactive committee workshops, public open
houses, a dedicated e-mail address, and university-based web site.
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| Implementation:
Implementation is the final test of all master plan efforts.
For the plan to be successful, realistic recommendations must be
reached, they must be clearly and fully presented, and the university’s
leadership must be fluent in understanding and using the plan.
Participation in the process will create the necessary commitment
to support the plan, communicate its merits, and facilitate funding for the
development opportunities. This
form of understanding will establish a foundation for accurately assessing
the implication of site-specific decisions so that individual projects can
move forward with the confidence that each is meeting short-term needs
consistent with longer-term campus objectives. |
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Last Updated : Tuesday, 10-May-2005 16:37:56 PDT
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