The University has begun work on an architectural master plan for the campus. The New Haven, Connecticut firm of Cesar Pelli & Associates has been appointed the project architect.

The plan will take approximately 14 months to complete and will address a variety of elements including: facilitation of academic community; extension of core campus; organization of the campus; pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular circulation; adjacent neighborhoods; campus infrastructure; visual character and historical importance; future campus expansion; and the facilitation of campus orientation and way finding. The plan will include a comprehensive look at the entire campus, with regard for present and future needs, as well as the retention of campus tradition.

The last significant campus planning effort was undertaken in 1933 when consulting architect Paul Cret (pronounced "Cray") presented a master plan to cover a period of significant growth. Cret developed a plan that included numerous buildings that he eventually designed including the Main Building and the Tower, the Texas Union, Goldsmith Hall, Taylor Hall, Gearing Hall, and several other buildings on the central campus. The placement of some buildings as late as the addition to Welch hall in the 1980's was influenced by his plan. In addition, Cret was responsible for the development of the system of malls across campus. The campus Cret "inherited" in 1933 is shown in figure 1. His Plan for Development is illustrated in figure 2. Figure 3 represents the central campus as it appears today. Following World War II, primarily as a result of demographics, campuses across the country tended to grow very rapidly. In many cases, this expansion occurred without an organized plan. The new campus planning effort will help to reverse a long-standing tendency to construct buildings which primarily conform to the immediate needs of building occupants, rather than responding to broader campus-wide needs.

Dean Lawrence Speck of the School of Architecture agrees that the plan is designed to reinvigorate a sense of community within the campus. "This is about making a home for The University, rather than just making an accommodation for physical needs. There was an era here when we just needed lots of square footage, but it's time to pause and reflect on what we are as an institution. One way you build a community is by building places where people can share experiences, have common memories, and engage in activities that are fun and collegial. The old part of the campus is a wonderful place for those activities, but the newer parts have gotten away from the sense of community. I think the new plan will be an effort to return the campus to being the sort of gracious, genial, and supportive environment envisioned by the last plan back in the 1930's."

Work on the campus master plan began in earnest earlier this month. President Berdahl appointed a Campus Master Planning Committee, chaired by Professor Austin Gleeson, to work with the project architect to identify planning criteria and areas of concern. The Campus Planning Committee has representation from all groups on campus including students. You can find a listing of the Committee membership and activities on World Wide Web at http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~gleeson/cmpc.html. There is a mail server for anyone who wishes to discuss these issues. You can join by sending the command "subscribe campus_planning" in the body of an e-mail message to mailserv@physics.utexas.edu. You can send messages to this list server at campus_planning@physics.utexas.edu.

You can begin to help the project immediately. The Campus Master Planning Committee seeks the advice of all members of the campus community: students, faculty, staff, visitors, and neighbors. All aspects of the campus environment are under review, including appearance, access, traffic patterns, parking, use of space and facilities (places to rest, dine, meet, restrooms, etc.), landscaping, pedestrian and bicycle pathways, and the relationship of the campus to the neighborhoods and businesses on the periphery. In thinking about the master planning effort, you may wish to consider some of the following issues:

• What is best about the UT Austin campus now? What elements or feature(s) of the campus do you appreciate most?

• What isn't working and needs to be fixed?

• Are there any places on campus where you do not feel safe? If so, where and why?

• What could be added to the campus that would make it more beneficial to your needs?

• Do you "identify" with any specific part(s) of campus? If so, why?

• If you have visited or attended school on another campus, what feature(s) did you find most appealing there?

• Do you feel there is adequate space for lectures, meeting, study, eating, recreation, on-campus housing?

• How high a priority do you place on campus aesthetics?

• What changes (in any aspect of the campus) would you want the Committee and the architects to consider?

We hope that you will take the time to make your comments and participate in the "Town Meeting". With your help, the master planning effort will provide a plan that will set the tone and quality of our University well into the 21st century.