Colleges

Sunset view of downtown Nashville, Tennessee skyline from across a river.

Report: The Potential for Affordable Housing Partnerships in Nashville

Incentivizing development on institutionally owned land could help boost the city’s affordable housing supply.

November 16, 2023 - Urban Institute

Aerial view of college campus with red brick buildings and green lawns.

The Role of ‘Anchor Institutions’ in the Housing Crisis

Major employers and economic drivers like universities can use various tools to make housing more affordable for their students and staff.

October 18, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Photo of Bruce Stiftel as a young man standing in front of a green chalkboard

Youth, Inexperience, and a Sense of Mission

Forty years ago this week, I arrived in Tallahassee to take my first full-time university job. It was a nervous moment. After nearly eight years of graduate school, I was about to learn if I was any good at the career I'd prepared so long to begin.

August 10, 2023 - Bruce Stiftel

View of wide green lawn in front of red brick four-story buildings on Harvard University campus

The Housing Crisis on U.S. College Campuses

Top universities are turning away thousands of eligible applicants, in part due to NIMBY resistance to building new student housing.

August 8, 2023 - Governing

Community Transit buses at the University of Washington, Seattle.

How Inadequate Transit Harms College Students

A lack of access to affordable and reliable transit is being cited as a major reason why many college students don't finish school.

December 15, 2021 - The Washington Post

Boston

Foreign Firm Wants to Bring Privately Run Student Housing to Boston

The British firm Scape says it wants to spend $1 billion to build privately operated student housing in Boston. Unaffiliated with any one school, the concept is already popular in London.

October 12, 2018 - The Boston Globe

How a Simple Shuttle Enables Campus Diversity

Access to campus is a primary obstacle for low-income, minority students to overcome in attending college. The College of Staten Island has found a simple solution that applies in less urban communities as well.

November 8, 2015 - Politico New York

University of Chicago

The University and The City: Location and Structure

Institutional structure and culture can matter as much as location to the success and survival of urban universities.

July 31, 2014 - Dean Saitta

Graduation Ceremony

The Future of Higher Education: Location, Location, Location

Despite the improving economy, the outlook for the higher education sector is still poor, especially between the endowment haves and have-nots. Another factor playing a critical role in the success or failure of institutions: their location.

July 29, 2014 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

College Campuses as Multi-Modal Models for Cities

A new report argues that city governments have some of the same incentives for de-emphasizing single-occupant commuters as colleges—such as attracting younger workers and freeing up land used for parking.

February 14, 2014 - Governing

Is It Time for Colleges to Start Paying Taxes?

In an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, James Piereson and Naomi Schaefer Riley argue that its time for educational institutions to pay their fare share of taxes to support the communities in which they reside.

August 21, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A Dorm for All Students Opens in Chicago

La Casa is a first of its kind dorm building in Chicago, offering affordable housing for up to 100 students attending any of the colleges in the area. It is not only a living arrangement, but also a hub of support services, writes Michael Winerip.

November 7, 2012 - The New York Times

Pioneering Net-Zero Building Opens in Unlikely Location

To find Oregon's first energy-neutral building, you'll have to venture 45 minutes outside progressive Portland to the Willamette Valley town of Newberg. There you'll find a first step in an effort to change our physical and cultural environments.

July 24, 2012 - Fast Company

Improving Cities By Degrees

Carol Coletta explains how improving education, lowering VMT and alleviating poverty by as little as 1% each could mean billions of dollars for cities.

April 7, 2010 - The Urbanophile

College Towns Stay Vibrant

Towns with universities are doing better through the economic crisis than most, attracting jobs and preserving property values.

August 30, 2009 - New Geography

Colleges Discouraging Cars

Colleges across the country are trying new incentive programs to get students to leave their cars behind when school starts.

August 11, 2008 - USA Today

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.