The “Modern” Campus: Case Study in (Un)Sustainable Urbanism

Michael W. Mehaffy, Nikos A. Salingaros () and Alexandros A. Lavdas
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Michael W. Mehaffy: Sustasis Foundation, P.O. Box 2579, White Salmon, WA 98672, USA
Nikos A. Salingaros: Department of Mathematics, The University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Alexandros A. Lavdas: Eurac Research, Institute for Biomedicine, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, Via Galvani 31, 39100 Bolzano, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-37

Abstract: The design of campuses, like other aspects of contemporary environmental design, must be reassessed in light of the challenge of sustainability. This paper considers the “modern” campus design typology (including business campuses, commercial districts, hospitals, and schools) as a design paradigm for pedestrian public space, with implications for human flourishing and well-being. Its findings point to a serious problem: while the foundational design theories of a century ago have been widely critiqued as an obsolete way of thinking about cities, human nature, biological nature, and even the nature of mathematical and physical structures, we find that, in the case of campuses, the pervasive influence of these obsolete theories can still be seen in practice. Specifically, a new “techno-modernist” aesthetic offers visually exciting new “neoplastic” forms but is built on essentially the same discredited concepts of urban space. We propose a more directly human-oriented design methodology to promote the well-being of occupants, and improve outcomes for creative development, education, and health. This analysis resurrects tested traditional design tools and validates them through scientific findings from mathematics and neuroscience. It also adopts the older “design pattern” methodology of Christopher Alexander by linking it to biophilia and neuro-design.

Keywords: pedestrian realm; campus design; public space; urban space; path-network; university layout; Christopher Alexander; Jane Jacobs; Visual Attention Software (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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