Abstract
It has become an increased challenge for designers to define the boundaries between the university and its surrounding city. The amount of space serving as a nexus between universities and urban areas is gradually increasing. This study defines such intermediate spaces as “the university-city interface”—areas that influence the university’s physical and functional connection to the surrounding city. The research presents comparative case studies of three universities in urban contexts—Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Université Catholique de Louvain— by analyzing plazas and boulevards. These representative open spaces provide interfaces for both the university campuses and their surrounding cities. This paper analyzes design elements from the perspective of campus spatial structure, as well as locations and functions, to develop a comparative checklist for plazas and boulevards. The results offer a set of urban design principles for university plazas and boulevards that could significantly improve the quality of the university-city relationship. While these checklists and principles may vary depending on circumstances, they can be useful starting points for initializing design processes.
Highlights
In modern society, the research capacity of universities couples with a region’s technological progress to determine the wealth of a city
This study focuses on plazas and boulevards located in close proximity to a university campus and an urban core
The results offer a set of urban design principles for university plazas and boulevards that would critically improve the quality of the university-city relationship
Summary
The research capacity of universities couples with a region’s technological progress to determine the wealth of a city. The expectations for universities have grown ever higher, and it is undeniable that they have become a key variable affecting the economy, innovation, and general prestige of a city. The use of open space as a connector between a university and urban public areas is gradually increasing. The role of campus open spaces as cultural and recreational infrastructures continues to expand; many university campuses have been built or planned to serve as “dispersal clusters”. These cluster-type campuses enable space plans that focus on the college with an emphasis on quadrangles. The role of public open spaces in universities becomes weakened unless events are planned or specific areas are allocated for public use
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