Cleveland, OH

In 2000, Case Western set out to map a campus physical plan for the coming decades. The challenges were clear:

• Respond to the pressing need for more classrooms, laboratories, housing, and parking
• Blur the historic dividing line between the north and south sides of campus that is a vestige of the University's two original institutions
• Capitalize on its unique position in culturally rich University Circle and its role as a great research institution in the 21 st Century.

The plan envisions a friendlier campus for students, nature, and the neighborhood. One way to reach this goal is to create a series of classic quadrangles linked by pedestrian pathways that weave the north and south ends of campus as well as nearby cultural institutions.

A second strategy is to consolidate undergraduate housing on the north side, while another is to resolve the long-standing divide at a particularly difficult intersection. And yet another is to restore the once-resplendent western edge of campus.

The 18 months of planning took into consideration the thoughts of constituents throughout the University community, as well as the expertise of city planners and transportation officials. The plan also builds on Case Western's 1988 Master Plan and the 1999 blueprints of the city and University Circle, Inc.

Since the previous plan, more than $220 million was invested in campus projects, and another $124 million is earmarked for current projects. In addition to attending to academic, housing, traffic, and parking issues, the new plan integrates research with University Hospitals and converts Sinai Hospital to a research park.

As is common with many ASG master plans, we were asked to remain "on call" for design review, small studies, and other advice as the campus grows.