2006 SCUP/AIA-CAE Awards

Special Citation for Landscape Architecture—Proactive Planning and Innovative Transportation Planning

San Diego State University Multimodal Transit Station at San Diego State University with Zimmer Gulsul Fransca Partnership

Click to view a pdf presentation of the project.

In partnership with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), San Diego State University (SDSU) collaborated on the design and construction of a transit center that developed a new paradigm for integrative planning of an academic master plan with the regional transit access program.

The station is designed to draw people to the campus, enhancing SDSU's mission of making education accessible for all; "take it to the people" by offering convenient mass transit as an alternative to driving; expand the perceived boundaries of the campus and its environs; enhance auto-free mobility for on- campus resident students; make it easier to travel between the campus and nearby cultural amenities; create a pedestrian-friendly, signature station; expand the open space and native landscape; resolve the convocation of regional bus and rail service within the densely populated campus core.

The station opened in July of 2005 and students lined up to take advantage of the subsidized trolley pass buying over 3,000 permits during the first week. An estimated 4,000–5,000 transit pass sales occur each semester, equal to 15 percent of the campus population.

"This project is smart and unique and showed very effective communication," said juror Peter Busby.

The trolley has allowed the University to expand without adding parking for the next 20–25 years. They plan to add 12,000 students without new parking and now have surplus parking spaces.

This is a new paradigm for planning a campus and an example for other institutions that have seen their opportunities for growth restricted by the surrounding communities and parking demand.

Inserting a major multi-modal transit facility into the heart of a university campus requires careful planning, strong community relations and sustained collaboration between many participants.

The Campus Master Plan, and the surrounding College Area Community Plan, created a "community campus" rather than a "commuter campus." The university and transit planners embraced unorthodox solutions, while enduring design and construction challenges to achieve architecturally rich and functionally superior solutions that redefine the campus commitment to accessibility.

Project Team

W. Anthony Fulton
San Diego State University
afulton@mail.sdsu.edu

Mark Foster
Zimmer Gunsul Fransca
Partnership
mfoster@zgf.com