Campus Master Plan PHASE 1 CONSULTATION SUMMARY JUNE 2017
This document has been prepared for the University of Saskatchewan as part of the planning process for the Campus Master Plan. 2 DIALOG + WATT Consulting Group + ECS
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND 5 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Project Process 6 1.3 Phase 1 Consultation 6 2. PHASE 1 CONSULTATION EVENTS 7 2.1 Stakeholder Interviews 7 2.2 Pop-up Open Houses 8 3 SUMMARY OF WHAT WE HEARD 9 3.1 Emerging Vision 9 3.2 Emerging Themes 9 3.3 Panel Summary 19 Campus Master Plan 3
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1. BACKGROUND 1.1 INTRODUCTION In 2017, the University of Saskatchewan initiated the development of a Campus Master Plan intended to shape the growth and direction of the physical campus for the next 30 years. The 2017 Campus Master Plan will build on the efforts of past plans and will comprehensively integrate current initiatives and new ideas, developed through a collaborative and inclusive engagement process with a variety of stakeholders. The Plan will guide the future placement and character of new buildings, along with renovations and additions to existing ones; the location, character, and use of existing and new open spaces; and, the hierarchy, character, and role of streets, pedestrian paths, bicycle routes and other movement systems, and all viewed through a sustainable lens. The University of Saskatchewan retained DIALOG Inc. to lead the consultant team, providing campus master planning and design, and public engagement expertise. DIALOG is working WATT Consulting Group, who are providing transportation expertise, and ECS, who are providing education spatial planning analysis and expertise. This document provides an overview of outcomes from the Phase 1 engagement events and a summary of what we heard which include key words that start to build a Vision for the campus, and Emerging Themes which will be used to guide the development of a Preliminary Concept Plan. Emerging Themes These reflect the recurring ideas, aspirations, and objectives for the campus expressed by participants during engagement events. These themes provide initial guidance and direction for the development of a Draft Campus Vision, Planning Principles, and Design Strategies that will be brought back to stakeholders in the Phase 2 workshop events. Campus Master Plan 5
1.2 PROJECT PROCESS The diagram below outlines the project process, including the evolution of the Campus Master Plan from the development of an initial Vision and Principles, to Concept Plan and supporting Policy Frameworks, to Plan Implementation and Phasing. 1.3 PHASE 1 CONSULTATION The following consultation events were held as part of Phase 1: Pop-up Open House #1 and 2, held on June 13, 2017 Stakeholder Interviews, held on June 13-14, 2017 Pop-up Open House #3, held on June 14, 2017 PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 PHASE 4 Develop Plan Vision and Principles, identify opportunities for change and key priorities to inform the Plan. Develop Draft Concept Plan and Big Moves, identify preliminary policy directions for the Plan. Prepare Campus Master Plan and Plan Frameworks, including Plan policies. Finalize Campus Master Plan and Space Plan. Stakeholder Interviews & Popup Open Houses (Jun. 2017) Workshop & Open House (early Oct. 2017) Workshop & Open House (Jan. 2018) Presentation to U of S Governing Bodies WE ARE HERE 6
2. PHASE 1 CONSULTATION EVENTS Key stakeholders were invited to meet with the project team and participate in informal interviews on June 13 and June 14, 2017. The interviews consisted of one hour sessions where participants conveyed the issues and opportunities facing the campus from their varying perspectives. In addition, three Pop-up Open Houses were held in varying locations on and off campus including the Core Campus area Bowl, the South Campus Quarter, and off site at the Amigos Cantina pub. The events were an opportunity to have spontaneous conversations with the University community as well as the broader community. The Picnic in the Bowl provided a welcomed captive audience of faculty, staff, students, and campus visitors. The South Campus Quarter event provided an opportunity to meet with the international student body, and the pub event provided an opportunity to speak with the general public, surrounding residents, Alumni, the Mayor, and City Councilors. 2.1 STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS When June 13-14, 2017 Who Was Interviewed University of Saskatchewan Students, Faculty, and Staff Central Urban Metis Nation Graduate Student Association University of Saskatchewan Student Union U of S Sustainability Office Campus Master Plan 7
City of Saskatoon Staff Meewasin Valley Authority Staff Innovation Place Staff U of S Retirees U of S Planning and Priorities Committee U of S Corporate Administration Interview Format 2.2 POP-UP OPEN HOUSES Where & When Stakeholder Interviews Picnic in the Bowl, June 13, 2017 Amigos Cantina, June 13, 2017 McEown Graduate Student Residences, June 14, 2017 Who Attended U of S Students, Staff & Faculty Community Associations City of Saskatoon Council members City of Saskatoon Staff U of S Alumni U of S Student Associations Members of the public Pop-up in the Bowl Pop-up in the South Campus Quarter (Grad Student Residence Building) Pop-up at Amigos Cantina 8
3. Summary of What We Heard The following provides a summary of the what we heard at the events. Many common themes emerged from the various conversations including common key words and statements used to describe a general vision and direction for the campus. 3.1 EMERGING VISION (common words): Sustainable and Resilient; Community; Connected to Place; 24/7; Experiential; Unique; Beautiful; Green; Connected and Accessible; Inviting; Collaborative; and Inclusive 3.2 EMERGING THEMES (includes stakeholder interview feedback and Pop-up event panel feedback) Supporting Health and Wellbeing Bring food to campus, including more grocery and local food options. Enhance the University s Wellness Strategy through the Campus Master Plan. Continue to provide and expand services and amenities on campus, including health clinics and day care. Bring food to the community. Consider land opportunities for food production. Opportunity to engage and support the community (area is considered a food desert ). Enhance walking and cycling on campus great place for the community to enjoy the green environment and river, enhance the walking and cycling trails for all season use. Provide healthy comfortable places for recreation, study, socialization, and exercise. Provide spaces for spiritual wellness for the University community and broader community. Campus Master Plan 9
Animating the Campus Create a safe campus environment with vibrant, animated public spaces consider the campus after hours accessing parking; connecting to and between buildings, parking and open spaces; and to and from campus. Create a 24/7 campus environment consider late studying and classes, amenities; plan for extended class times, additional residences, destination uses museum, library, open spaces. Consider location of parking lots so that they are safe and animated environments 24/7. Connectivity - Accessing the Campus Internally and Externally Support improved bus service to the campus, including options to integrate the design of future BRT with the campus. Increase transit frequency. Improve or relocate the Transit Mall. Improve Place Riel circulation to reduce congestion and improve wayfinding need clarity in modes of movement to reduce pedestrian vehicular conflict. Encourage safety and create a more pedestrian friendly environment on College Dr. and Preston Ave reduced speeds, improved and better timed crossings, dedicated bike lanes. Increased development of the South Campus Quarter will increase the pedestrian crossings and circulation along College Street. Improve the outdoor pedestrian experience through better connected and improved pathways, and incorporate winter design strategies. Provide dedicated cycling infrastructure and amenities heated and covered shelters, more bike racks (in the right locations), showers, maintenance stations. Enhance transportation demand management strategies to address campus parking and traffic. Design to support not only physical connectivity but also intellectual and social connectivity. Improve connectivity to campus improve connections from bridges and across College Street; address hospital as barrier. Design for Universal Accessibility. 10
Increase building to building connectivity (winter climate) enhance existing tunnels (signage and wayfinding, aesthetics), consider other options at grade (internal and external), and above grade. Compact development is preferred efficiencies in getting people around and connected to buildings, and to on-campus destinations and amenities. Consider an on-campus shuttle service. Building Campus Identity and Community U of S is considered the most beautiful campus in Canada. Build on this identity. Push for commercializing and showcasing research on campus - provide space for innovative teaching of the future as technology is changing the way we teach and the role of Universities is changing. Embrace and celebrate the agricultural presence and programs rural in an urban context. Create opportunities to keep students on campus housing, services, amenities, recreational opportunities; and in the area accessibility, connectivity and transit. Create an environment that brings people back to the campus alumni, faculty, and staff. Build identity with sustainability as the driver it is an expectation from the student body, especially from international students. Improving Campus Wayfinding and Placemaking Establish comprehensive and integrated campus wayfinding and signage - beneficial to building community, creating safe and welcoming environments, enabling business viability on campus. Where is the front door? Create a front door to the campus to announce arrival and create a recognizable gateway. Where is the campus hub? Consider multiple locations of activity that will animate and engage other campus areas and create comfortable safer environments (Education is on the outskirts for example, and the river s edge lands seem disconnected). Campus Master Plan 11
Define a hierarchy of the multiple campus entrances and improve upon them. Establish internal gateways that transition the precinct areas once people are in, how do they find their way around? Addressing Surface Parking and Encouraging Alternate Transportation Modes Reduce cars on campus. Need to diversify the modes of transportation people like walking and cycling through the campus. Encourage and enhance cycling on campus by adding amenities, bike lanes, snow clearing, and more bike lockers. Commission artists to paint the lockers to make them more attractive and to encourage use. Need alternative solutions to manage/reduce parking on campus. Too much money is being thrown into parking to resolve parking issues. Make is less easy to drive on campus but provide alternative solutions for movement. Need better parking services (or improved transit options) for visitors and the community part of making the campus more accessible and welcoming. Provide internal/external campus shuttle bus service; care share or car-to-go. Need to consider timing and location of implementation for improved success of transportation options (many scenarios have been tried but have been unsuccessful need incentives - convenience, great servicing). Showcasing Sustainability Continue to infuse sustainability in all University streams including the CMP (five pillars of Sustainability Plan) governance, operations, education, research, community outreach. Sustainability needs to be the lens by which we write the CMP, and that drives all aspects of design. The Plan needs to reflect a long term vision for sustainability and of a sustainable system, connecting water, buildings, open 12
space, movement, community, and city. Need community and City involvement in sustainable initiatives eg. Transportation. Develop the campus in a compact way intensification of the core. Demonstration: Become a demonstration campus for sustainable technologies the living laboratory crop science, wind energy. Pedagogy: Become a pedagogical/experiential campus for sustainability the learning/teaching laboratory space for field courses, educational play space, outdoor class space, take advantage of the AG and Plant Sciences programs. Economic: Use the land for sustainable projects that are economically beneficial to the university. Buildings should emphasize sustainability and resiliency through architecture and design features create a culture shift in thinking. Embed sustainability in long term and short term decision making processes. Shift focus to adaptation and resilience, and away from just mitigation. Shift the focus from primarily fiscal sustainability to other streams such as social sustainability need to address other aspects which should be reflected in the master plan. Establish synergies with the City to increase sustainability opportunities on campus transit, roadways, access. Foster a more comprehensive and collaborative process for Sustainable Initiatives - lots going on: President s Office of Sustainability, UofS Climate Action Plan Commitment, Campus Sustainability Plan, Energy Management Planning - Energy and Water Conservation Policy, Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. What is the bigger vision and how can the CMP contribute to drive the vision forward? Apply Indigenous Principles being connected to the land. Support fiscal sustainability through the CMP design must consider ways in which to reduce costs in the short and long term efficiencies, energy, water consumption, etc. Establish a scoring card for sustainability goals and to meet sustainability objectives. Campus Master Plan 13
Connect with Community Improve campus accessibility and wayfinding to encourage greater engagement with adjacent areas and the wider city. People flow is critical. Maintain small town feel tension between wanting to be its own island and wanting to be connected. Create new spaces for cultural events, conferences and performances, and other social programming opportunities. Leverage new and existing athletics facilities to bring community onto campus. Create opportunities to increase daycare locations on campus for staff and community (large family based staff population on campus). Need to create and encourage a walk-in environment. Athletic facilities/amenities are opportunities to integrate and welcome the community and other institutions keep the running track on campus. Museum and libraries are opportunities to connect with the community. These uses need to be highly accessible and be enhanced as community places on campus. Open Spaces/Natural Environment Preserve and enhance the cherished campus landscape assets, character, and unique features such as the tree canopy, naturalized landscaping, and the bowl. Support enhancement of the Meewasin Trail and river s edge, and improve trail connections and wayfinding. Create a diversity of new (internal and external) open spaces to provide areas for social gathering, recreation and contemplation, special events, external learning, daily and weekly prayer or spiritual activities, student activity, napping need more quiet intimate spaces. 14
Open spaces should be innovative, flexible, inspiring and welcoming to the community, and should promote innovation and creativity. Create opportunities for accidental experiences of the campus and open spaces, tied to a comfortable walking environment. Enhance the mid-campus spaces. Improve on what seems like junky open spaces. Engage the Sask. River and river s edge improve campus frontage and presence, enhance assets such as the landscape, the outdoor art gallery, the natural topographical features, and the connections. Create opportunities for public horticulture on campus (main gardens recently taken away for development) invite the community in. Consider stormwater management in open space design paving permeability, LID, rain gardens. Match recreational amenities/resources with current and future University and community demands - changing needs and demographics, community recreational gaps cricket field, outdoor basketball, year-round hockey, running and cycling trails, and children s play space/summer camps. Consider open spaces to accommodate dogs adults and families with dogs, therapy dogs (pier health mentors). Indigenization of the Campus Celebrate Indigenous history and culture on campus in programs and events, and through the design of open spaces and buildings consider naming and other opportunities to visibly enhance aboriginal cultural identity. Design a plaza on campus that celebrates Treaty 6. Create buildings and open spaces that respond to cultural needs and provide dedicated spaces for socialization and ceremony. Campus Master Plan 15
Housing Options Provide a range of (affordable) housing options for students on campus, including more options for families and adults consider off-campus opportunities quality and affordability keeps students on campus. Renovate or replace aging housing stock on campus. Integrate accessible services such as daycare, food and services, or locate housing close to amenities and not on outskirts the core needs better housing, especially for first year students. Consider opportunities for community/market housing options. Efficiency and Utilization Rethink existing internal and external space to be used more efficiently and in a sustainable manner. Create more flexible spaces to support a greater range of uses study, gathering, conference, event space. Enhance off site faculties (eg. the Architecture Faculty) to support and enhance the communities in which they reside Architecture as catalyst for downtown development, and to make the University more accessible. Create a flexible and adaptive learning environment. New campus spaces should provide flexibility in utilization of space, offering opportunities for study, meeting, socialization and contemplation. Respect for Heritage The design of new buildings should respect and acknowledge the historical Gothic Collegiate and Tyndal Stone architectural aesthetic. Need recommendations for how to integrate contemporary architectural styles. Explore opportunities to repurpose and preserve historical structures. 16
Built Form Buildings need to reflect quality, timelessness, sustainability Law extension as example quality environment, great social spaces, better air and light quality. Need increased internal social spaces that are bright, airy, accessible, lots of seating and access to technology, connected to the outdoors. Need to build in flexibility to address changing needs over time flexible classroom space, changing uses shift from single use/ single faculty oriented use. Need to understand the buildings that are no longer renewable soft sites. Need a good balance of old and new buildings (architectural styles). A Cohesive Campus - Enhancing Precincts Synergies and Uses South Campus Quarter, Core Campus, AG Campus, Innovation Place, Hospital Lands, Farm Science Lands, Endowment Lands, Riverfront. Embrace differences and distinctiveness of each precinct but also enhance the interfaces, transitions, and connectivity between need to become more of a cohesive campus. Embrace Agriculture as a unique identity for and function of the University. Innovation Place connectivity, ease of access, and wayfinding to the precinct is critical dependent on daily business visitors. Innovation Place needs to be a more pedestrian friendly. Intensify the core campus. Focus of AG lands should be for crop science research as a priority. The South Quarter should be developed as a mixed use residential hub - mixing residential with amenities such as a restaurant or cafe, food services, and open spaces. Include lands outside of the city; College Of Agbio research lands how do they fit into this new plan Campus Master Plan 17
Build on Current Initiatives and Ongoing Engagement Nothing About Us Without Us as the new standard of business. The CMP is an opportunity to test drive the University s commitment to ongoing engagement. It should be treated as a framework for consultation and collaboration. Must include engagement with Campus Elders. Implement a regular 5-10 year review of the plan, bring forward applicable/relevant recommendations/initiatives of the 2003 plan. Integrate ideas and planning initiatives that are currently on the table Arts and Science, Building Plans, Space Planning. Space Utilization Library Master Plan holistic review of space and space utilization child friendly, work/study friendly, 24/7, enhanced research commons; need to integrate other services community outreach. Consider the change in student needs, space as the extension of the classroom flexible space for student clubs and organizations, booked space. Need to address space utilization and build in flexibility for change the current situation is not sustainable. Consider: time of teaching expand beyond 10-2 and Fridays, location of classes, coordination of class size to number of students, projected student populations targets How big does the University want to be? Consider the effects/needs of on-line courses, distance education, continuing education. Need shared lab space for multi users and move away from single use. Museum, libraries, Arts and Science, etc need community and academic space in addition to their primary needs and be easily connected and accessible - parking, transit, wayfinding. 18
3.3 PANEL SUMMARY Tell us about your campus? What are your most and least favourite places on campus? The most favoured places on campus are the open spaces and buildings that define the historical campus core including the farm buildings. Other favoured spaces include the river valley and Innovation Place pond landscape. The bowl and buildings that frame the space are identified as the hub of campus. Least favoured areas include the perimeter roads (the character of these streets), the vehicular nature of the bridges, the hospital buildings (constrains connectivity), selected buildings on the perimeter of the core campus area, and the easterly parking lots. Campus Master Plan 19
What would you like to see on your campus? The images that received the most hits include added amenities such as daycare, food services with fresh produce, bike facilities; a diversity of attractive, bright internal and external open spaces; sustainability such as walkability, green buildings, energy generators, transportation options; and animated social spaces, community spaces, and gathering spaces. Images that received less hits include sports fields, gym recreation, pocket parking, public health services, fitness facilities, office space, formal open spaces, and open interior study spaces. 20
Campus Master Plan 21
22 Other ideas include: signage and wayfinding for internal and external movement; informal places to sit; after hour activities; increased safe pedestrian connections to campus; improved pedestrian circulation throughout; better use of river valley area; less surface parking lots; better transit service; parking and vehicular movement along campus perimeter and not within the core; transit incentives; ski trails; an amphitheatre; repurpose the barn; green roofs and energy efficient bird friendly buildings; Dark Sky lighting; spaces for the community such as community gardens and children s/teen play space; more green houses as labs and food growing; coffee shops; a sweat lodge; bike share; and affordable parking.
Mobility: Where are you coming from and how do you get to the University? Most participants either live on campus or with the surrounding neighbourhood context. The participant responses reflect that most drive or cycle to campus. Many walk because they are within a reasonable distance to the campus, and those who take transit, do so because they have to (a general common statement) but the service is not favoured. Campus Master Plan 23
Campus Master Plan