UIC has laid out a master plan to rework "nearly every corner" of its campus. The goal is to accommodate more students and enhance the school's pride and identity.
In a piece rich with renderings, Rachel Hinton covers an extensive plan by the University of Illinois at Chicago to rework its campus. "The plan, which covers nearly every corner of its 311-acre campus, will bring changes to both its undergraduate and health sciences buildings. It comes as the university seeks to push enrollment from 32,000 to 35,000," Hinton writes.
According to the school's chancellor Michael Amiridis, the plan involves two five-year construction periods, with nine buildings planned for the first phase and "five or six" for the second. Total costs will exceed $1 billion, and groundbreaking on the first four buildings is set to take place within the next 18 months.
"Funding for that first set of buildings and renovations will come from four sources," Hinton writes. "Around 30 percent from public-private partnerships, 25 percent from bonds, another 25 percent from state financing and 20 percent from philanthropy."
The plan calls for a variety of new structures, including a freshman "living-learning center," renovations to a nearby CTA Pink Line stop, an "entertainment district," and a new soccer stadium, as well as updates to a dated central quad.
Amiridis said that "an environment like this [...] will help build pride and [enhance] the identity of the school, which is something the school has struggled with over the course of its 50 years."
FULL STORY: UIC master plan lays out university’s future, plans for growth
The Miseducation of Cities
A review of the provocative new book by Davarian L. Baldwin, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower.
Willis Tower, Largest LEED Platinum Building, to Switch to 100 Percent Renewable Energy
The Willis Tower in Chicago, once the tallest building in the world, is still making history in superlative terms.
Widespread Coronavirus Testing Critical for College Reopenings, But...
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a high-frequency coronavirus testing system that would be the envy of an country or corporation, testing students, faculty and staff twice a week, but it still failed to stem a major outbreak.
The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.
Early Sharrow Booster: ‘I Was Wrong’
The lane marking was meant to raise awareness and instill shared respect among drivers and cyclists. But their inefficiency has led supporters to denounce sharrows, pushing instead for more robust bike infrastructure that truly protects riders.
Push and Pull: The Link Between Walkability and Affordability
The increased demand for walkable urban spaces could make them more and more exclusionary if cities don’t pursue policies to limit displacement and boost affordability.
Tacoma Developing New Housing Policy
The city’s Home in Tacoma plan is designed to address the region’s growth and rising housing prices, but faces local backlash over density and affordability concerns.
A New Paradigm for Stormwater Management
Rather than shuttling stormwater away from the city and into the ocean as quickly as possible, Los Angeles is now—slowly—moving toward a ‘city-as-sponge’ approach that would capture and reclaim more water to recharge crucial reservoirs.
Orange County Project Could Go Forward Under ‘Builder’s Remedy’
The nation’s largest home builder could receive approval for a 530-unit development under an obscure state law as the city of La Habra’s zoning laws hang in limbo after the state rejected its proposed housing plan.
Town of Palm Beach
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Fitchburg, WI
City of Culver City
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
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.
