Land Use Working Group Year II

Land Use Working Group Year II

Project Leads: Meg Prier, Cole Rainey, Isa Gaillard

TGIF Grant: $12,700.00

Project Theme: Education & Behavior Change

2019 Application

Project Description: Campus land use decisions are structured through campus planning documents, namely the Landscape Master Plan and the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The Campus Sustainability Plan also includes language related to development of the physical campus. Case by case decisions are made by campus administration including planners, the campus landscape architect, and the campus architect. These plans have been written with commitments to environmental sustainability, but lack social sustainability elements such as equity and inclusion, basic needs security, health and wellness. Moreover, they have not been rewritten since Basic Needs have risen to the forefront of our campus. There also are not clear guidelines for decisions around campus gardens and student and/or faculty maintained physical spaces. Campus is currently preparing to redo the LRDP. Historically planning processes have been managed by campus administrators with limited community input, but there has been expressed interest in improving and increasing equity in planning processes, particularly with this round of the LRDP. This past year (2018-2019) in the first year of the Land Use Working Group project, the project team has researched precedents, developed a positive working relationship with the campus planning office, researched past student submitted requests for using land, conducted outreach for the LUWG, and convened the LUWG.

Goals:1) Maintain the energy and engagement of the LUWG as a representative campus and community body

2) Effectively incorporate LUWG recommendations into the LRDP process

3) Improve the process of LRDP outreach and review to be more transparent and inclusive

4) Institutionalize the LUWG recommendations so that they will be implemented in future LRDP processes as well.