Luanne Greene in The Chronicle of Higher Education

As the premiere source for higher education journalism, The Chronicle of Higher Education serves their readers with current news, insightful opinions, helpful advice, and a robust career portal. The Chronicle also periodically takes deep dives into critical issues facing the college and university realm and publishes detailed reports. The special publication “The Campus as City,” features interviews with a diverse group of leaders across higher education. Included is Ayers Saint Gross President Luanne Greene, FAIA addressing the principles that bring cities and colleges together.

Colleges and universities are more invested in their relationships to their surrounding communities than ever before. This report investigates how colleges and universities perform many of the functions of a local municipality, but with constrained resources and heightened expectations. This fascinating and important report explores questions such as: how do you run a modern campus and keep functions like planning, transportation, and public safety at the forefront? What is the role of an anchor institution, and how does the surrounding community influence decisions that you make? How do you pursue responsible expansion and development?

Each campus environment brings its own history, challenges, goals, and sometimes resentments (indeed, the publication’s introduction cites clashes dating back to 1355). The questions are not new, but the strategies and creativity dedicated to resolving them is. In the piece, Luanne discusses the importance of developer relationships, looking ahead to future transit challenges, and the essential nature of having people and ideas near one another. These principles help guide our design thinking and cover practical concerns of infrastructure, scale, and environmental impact, as well as the ineffable qualities like the sense of place and intellectual buzz. Cities and campuses have a great deal to offer one another and their successes can be mutual. Ayers Saint Gross works to break down these barriers, and facilitate inclusivity.

Among the examples cited in the piece, the Providence Innovation District is a great example of these principles at work. Home to prestigious institutions including Brown University, Johnson & Wales University, and the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence is a place where many good ideas are being formed. Supported by developer partners and fulfilling the potential of the connection to the rest of the city opened by the re-routing of I-95/I-195, all those good ideas will have access to the business community and vice-versa. The resulting innovations (tech start-ups, new ideas for mature companies, research and development breakthroughs, among others) provide opportunity and feed back into the economy of the city. Point225, the first building implemented as part of the master plan, recently opened, and we are excited to see the results.

Place matters. For students, a campus is where some of the most memorable and intellectually rich moments of their lives may occur; for the community, it’s home; for faculty and staff it’s both. We are proud to share our involvement in The Chronicle’s publication and honored to play a role in the future of campuses and cities alike. See Luanne’s portion here.