March 2015 Campus Plan update

The first phase of the process to update UVic’s official Campus Plan received excellent engagement and input from the campus and the surrounding community.

The 2003 Campus Plan is being updated to provide a refreshed vision, guidelines and direction for future campus development, in topics such as building placement and parameters, transportation, and open and natural spaces. It also plays a key role in supporting the university’s academic priorities and commitments to sustainability.

Engaging with the campus community and the public is critical to the success of the process. There were a number of engagement activities through January and February as part of Phase 1 of the engagement plan.  A mobile booth display, placed in high visibility locations around campus during the week of Jan. 13-16, provided information on the current Campus Plan and the update process. It asked students, faculty and staff for ideas that would enhance how the future campus could better function as a place of learning, teaching and research.

This was followed by a speakers event on Jan. 28, featuring lectures by Dr. Eric Higgs, associate professor with the School of Environmental Studies, and Antonio Gomez-Palacio, a national expert on urban and campus planning. Dr. Higgs organized his presentation on the themes of learning matters, ecology matters and planning matters and their importance in preparing a Campus Plan. Ten sources of inspiration, including new ways of learning, mobility and active living were outlined by Mr. Gomez-Palacio in his talk. The audience included both campus community members and some members of the public.

The main engagement events on February 4th, the Ideas Forum and Ideas Workshop, attracted over 300 attendees who contributed more than 1000 comments about the campus. The public and campus community were invited to come to Open House sessions at the Student Union Building, while a focused workshop in the afternoon, with faculty, staff, students and community representatives explored more specific themes and priorities.

Some of the more popular topics of the conversations focused on:

• Preference for increased density to minimize building footprints and the impacts on natural areas;
• The high value placed on open space and natural areas as they present rich educational opportunities, make the campus attractive and impact our sense of identity;
• The need for increased opportunities for social activities throughout the week, to increase the vibrancy on campus;
• A desire for more weather-protected outdoor areas to allow broader use of existing open spaces;
• The need to accommodate more students in residence on campus;
• Prioritizing cycling, walking, and transit, with suggestions for separate bike lanes and reducing traffic on Ring Road.

These were just a few of the many topics that generated lively discussions, loads of ideas and a lot of friendly debates. An online survey and photo contest also enabled idea-sharing through digital formats.

All of the input collected is now being organized and compiled into an engagement report that will be reviewed by the Campus Planning Committee. The report will guide the development of concepts, options and possible directions for the draft updated Campus Plan. A second set of engagement events will be held to present the draft plan and gather feedback and further input from the campus and public.

www.uvic.ca/campusplanning