Building A New ASU Campus From Scratch In Downtown Phoenix

Arizona State University's new urban campus will be built -- from scratch -- in downtown Phoenix. The effort is the first of its kind in the nation.

1 minute read

February 21, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Classroom buildings will stand among Phoenix corporate offices, banks and businesses. Bicycles will join urban traffic. Nightlife may perk up more in a downtown with gritty patches.

The pioneering effort raises questions about how good of a sell the downtown campus will be. Universities market the campus experience as well as academics and going to college downtown may seem the opposite of everything that many parents and students envision.

...'Different' is what ASU officials stress about a campus that will emerge in two phases by 2008 if a March 14 bond vote passes. There is no other model in the country because unlike schools such as New York University, ASU is creating a campus from scratch."

Monday, February 20, 2006 in The Arizona Republic

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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