Christner completed a master plan and update for Drury University to analyze space usage and to develop planning options for campus expansion. Given Drury's location near the center of the city, our primary goal was to accommodate issues that arose due to its expansion into the surrounding neighborhoods. Campus boundaries had become indistinguishable from the surrounding commercial and residential development. We created a plan that allows for a strong campus identity with long-term facility growth. A key organizing principle is the enhanced pedestrian experience in the heart of campus.
Size: 80 acres, 44 buildings
Status: Completed 2005
Christner's recommended master plan provides short- and long-term options for academic program growth, increased student housing, and improved campus presence in the community.
Our planners analyzed the pedestrian circulation patterns on campus to help determine priority focus areas for the master plan. Of particular note are the areas of pedestrian and vehicular conflict, highlighted in red.
To encourage more pedestrian activity in the heart of campus, Christner recommended the creation of a new pedestrian mall. The mall will also draw attention to Drury's athletic programs in the adjacent field house and gym.
Central Street is a busy thoroughfare that splits the campus. We recommended its conversion to a boulevard with a landscaped median, eliminating on-street parking, and developing key intersections into pedestrian-friendly features.
The first phase of the master plan recommended a new student center adjacent to the pedestrian mall. Christner's preliminary design establishes a link between the residential and academic areas on campus.
