Learning Resources

Abstract: Research has shown that neurodivergent students report a lower sense of belonging and are less likely to feel welcomed, accepted, and like they belong on campus than their neurotypical peers. Considering this, a host of barriers to participation and belonging can be in effect across a college or university. While there are a few campus offices and departments that might address different aspects of these concerns independently, the most successful results occur when these groups—along with outside contractors such as design partners—work in strategic symphony.

This article is co-presented by the Association of College & University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) and the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and is being published in publications for both organizations.

Abstract: While universities have long been bastions of intellectual diversity, they are now embracing a broader understanding of diversity that extends beyond race, gender, and socioeconomic background. Neurodiversity, a concept celebrating the natural variations in human neurological functioning, is gaining prominence as an essential aspect of fostering a truly inclusive educational environment.

Abstract: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort to address physical and mental well-being on campuses has become a focus. One overlooked opportunity to improve student welfare lies beneath their feet: enhancing campus walkability. Planners at the University of Georgia used “feeling maps” to help identify and create healthier connections for faculty, students, and staff traversing between campus destinations.

Abstract: When carefully considered and thoughtfully planned, physical campus space has the power to reinforce an institution’s values around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Abstract: Athletic buildings suffer from a long-held image problem. Fieldhouses, hockey and basketball arenas, and other large indoor competition and practice facilities traditionally lag other campus spaces in energy performance and sustainability. However, because of the size, scale, and location of athletic buildings, there is significant untapped potential as campus planners seek creative ways to implement change initiatives. The authors share lessons learned from their recent experiences applying imaginative, cost-efficient approaches to sports and recreation buildings. In addition to reimagining how the facilities can contribute to the greater good of the entire campus, they demonstrate the value of early cross-discipline collaboration and problem-solving to fulfill shared aspirations.

Abstract: Wellness—including mental health counseling, medical care, fitness and recreation, and other services—is now recognized as a crucial service for higher education institutions to provide to their students. This article discusses current trends in wellness centers at U.S. colleges and universities and challenges the reader to consider questions such as how campuses will meet increasing demands for mental health counseling. We describe how institutions are establishing best practices and building state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of the person as a whole. In preparation for renovation or new construction, we recommend that higher education professionals and architects implement a data-driven process to determine how best to serve the student population.

Abstract: Health and wellness centers that encourage all students to be active are replacing the traditional gymnasium complexes on campuses throughout the United States. Studies indicate that regular exercise helps students fight off depression, relieve stress, improve grades, and graduate on time. At Cabrini University, Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT) architects designed an athletic pavilion that accommodates a wide variety of wellness, exercise, and fitness programs. WRT master planners used design principles that encourage physical activity to frame the campus reorganization so that all members of the campus community could incorporate healthy activity into their daily lives.

Abstract: We live at a time when increasing numbers of Americans consume food prepared away from home. This trend, along with poor dietary choices and lack of access to healthy, sustainably sourced food, contributes to a reduced quality of life and the onset of preventable disease.
The Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food Systems curriculum recently approved by the Kalamazoo Valley Community College trustees reflects the college’s belief that best practices in urban agriculture, the latest developments in culinary and food production research and technology, and the transformative power of education will improve the health and well-being of our citizens and help sustain our communities. The college believes that culinary and food professionals can serve as positive change agents in society.

Abstract: The earliest American colleges were designed with health in mind. Today, however, the importance of the relationship between the campus environment and student health has waned in favor of individually based evaluations and behavioral interventions, an approach that fails to consider the contexts in which behaviors occur and overlooks the fundamental role of place—and those who design it—in shaping human health. In this article I argue that, in fact, the college campus matters to student health and thus must be designed and evaluated accordingly. Using an ecological model of health to explore two burgeoning student health concerns—mental health and sedentary behavior—I identify health needs not currently addressed by standard assessments of student health, define a new method for evaluating the environmental contexts in which health-related behaviors occur, and offer recommendations for planning and designing campuses as healthy places.

Abstract: The University of Pittsburgh is committed to improving its Division I varsity sports venues and intramural sports and recreational facilities to meet the needs of student athletes, the general student body, staff, and faculty. In 2004, the university completed an Athletic and Recreation Facilities Master Plan. Since its completion, the document has guided the university’s development and renovation efforts on the Upper Campus. However, facilities for these programs remain a pressing need. Given its accomplishments since the completion of the 2004 master plan, the university determined that it needed to revisit and revise the plan to address unresolved issues, take on new challenges, and explore new opportunities that achieve the following objectives: strengthen the geographic definition of the university’s athletic campus within the greater context of the campus as a whole; optimize the university’s limited land and facilities assets such as Trees Field, the OC Lot, Petersen Sports Complex, Trees Hall, Fitzgerald Field House, and other potential sites to identify the highest and best use to meet current and future academic, athletic, and recreational program deficiencies; improve efficiencies in existing facilities where space has been vacated due to the construction of new facilities; and determine where consolidation and cross-departmental sharing is warranted and where space is suited for renovation and reuse.