Princeton Campus Plan Fact Sheet
Overview The Princeton Campus Plan prepares the University for the physical growth of the campus over the next 10 years and beyond. While it is likely to have a direct impact on nearly one-third of the 380-acre contiguous main campus, the goal is to weave modern development and a rejuvenated historic campus into an integrated whole. The plan aims to preserve the intimate, coherent and park-like character that defines the Princeton campus, while also selectively adding new qualities that help meet the needs of the future. These include a reinvigorated commitment to environmental stewardship, the creation of an arts and transit neighborhood, and the integration of sensitively designed modern architecture into a campus setting defined as much by its landscape and open space as by its buildings and walkways. Ten-year projects encompassed in the plan include new buildings, building renovations, landscapes, wayfinding, athletic facilities, housing, parking, daycare, roadways, public transit and stormwater projects. Five Guiding Principles of the Planning Process
Maintain a pedestrian-oriented campus Preserve the park-like setting of the campus Maintain existing campus neighborhoods while promoting a sense of community Develop in an environmentally sustainable manner Sustain strong community relations
Key Elements of the Plan A Campus of Neighborhoods One guiding principle of the plan advances the concept of "campus neighborhoods" -geographic areas defined by commonalities of character, use, or activity -- that break down the scale of Princeton's large campus into comprehensible districts, often in support of interdisciplinary collaboration between departments. The "neighborhood" connotes a sense of social and academic community organized within a distinct physical space. The campus plan defines and focuses on four campus neighborhoods where most of the new growth will occur: 1. Arts and Transit Neighborhood Redevelopment of a large area at the campus edge will create a dramatic new gateway, with public plazas, cultural and retail spaces, and reconfigured roads and transportation systems to improve traffic flow and transit connectivity 2. Natural Sciences Neighborhood
Supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and research in existing and new natural sciences programs, this neighborhood will be linked by a pedestrian footbridge over Washington Road. New construction will enable the natural woodlands and streams of the area to be restored and enhanced, and will create a major new campus green space. 3. Prospect Avenue and William Street Neighborhood This area will be more integrated with the core campus as existing science buildings are vacated and reused, the University's engineering quadrangle (E-Quad) is expanded, and landscape improvements extend the sense of campus to the area. 4. Ivy Lane and Western Way Neighborhood East of Princeton Stadium, the existing athletics fields and parking areas will be reconstructed to create an improved and strengthened athletics neighborhood and a major new parking facility, located within convenient walking distance of most major academic buildings. The Campus Landscape Over the next ten years, Princeton will transform nearly 40 percent of its campus for more extensive academic, cultural and recreational use. A comprehensive approach to landscape will connect new developments with each other and with the historic core campus. The plan envisions a campus landscape that will be experientially rich and simultaneously more sustainable, versatile and functional; it emphasizes the stewardship of Princeton’s historic spaces while creating more resilient landscapes that are ecologically stable and require less maintenance. Campus Life New, non-academic facilities are proposed to the east to balance historic western areas of campus. More gathering spots are proposed for Prospect Avenue. New retail amenities include a relocated Wawa convenience store in the arts and transit neighborhood, a student-oriented store on University Place, and the new Labyrinth bookstore on Nassau Street. Expansion of campus daycare facilities is proposed. The plan recommends development of an off-campus administrative neighborhood. Housing The plan accommodates the planned increase in the undergraduate population from 4,700 to 5,200 by 2012, and reconfigures and improves housing for faculty, staff, and graduate students. The plan accommodates the addition of undergraduate housing at the recently completed Whitman College and the new Butler College currently under construction. New graduate student housing will exist in reconfigured Hibben and Magie Apartments. More residential options for faculty and staff will be provided through redevelopment of the Butler Tract and other areas to the east.
Athletics and Recreation Modern technologies and better site utilization will allow the athletic program to grow without using significantly more land and remaining concentrated on the main campus. Projects include Robert Stadium for soccer, replacement of the Lenz Tennis Center, a new Clarke Field for baseball, a new club sports field and new practice fields. Wayfinding A comprehensive wayfinding program will allow more than 700,000 annual visitors and members of the community to more easily navigate their way to and around campus. Existing network of pathways and named walks will be reinforced and identified with simple markers. A vehicular signage program will identify main roads and clarify directions to eastern and western campus areas. New visitor map, directories at selected locations, and integrated building identification will assist campus visitors. Parking and Shuttles The plan outlines use of extra capacity in four lots, made accessible through extended shuttle service. Implementation of a range of transportation demand management policies is proposed. Development of a major new parking facility east of Princeton Stadium is proposed to meet ten-year parking demand. Four reconfigured shuttle routes will serve the Core Campus and new growth areas, adaptable over time as required. Traffic
Traffic flow will be improved at key intersections by taking advantage of Faculty Road as an east-west connector-distributor. A new roundabout in the arts and transit neighborhood will ease congestion at Alexander Street and University Place. The plan creates increased pedestrian and cyclist safety through a designated network of bicycle routes and traffic calming measures.
A Sustainable Campus With more than 2 million gross square feet of projected new construction by 2016 comes an increased responsibility to offset impacts and improve campus sustainability. Campus Plan initiatives include a transportation demand management program to reduce driving; potential energy alternatives, including geothermal, biofuels and solar power; green construction practices, including a pilot green roof project; and a campus-wide stormwater strategy, including "biomimicry" techniques to store and treat runoff before it reaches the adjacent lake.