Queen’s is partnering with Toronto-based Urban Strategies to update the Campus Master Plan (CMP) and establish an overall policy framework for campus development.

“The Campus Master Plan will establish a framework to guide how the campus will physically evolve over the next 10 to 15 years,” says Jo-Anne Brady, Vice-Provost (Planning and Budgeting). “Our goal is to provide an environment that enhances our research and learning experiences, supporting the initiatives of faculty, staff and students that make Queen’s a world-class university.”

The CMP will focus on further intensification for the area currently referred to as “main” campus, framed by Barrie, Albert, Earl, and Stuart Streets. New development for the campus on Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard will ensure a vibrant destination for living and learning in addition to accommodating exciting plans for a fields and stadiums project. Opportunities presented by the former Prison for Women property will be considered in the master plan.

Linkages between these sites, Innovation Park to the north and the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on the lakefront, will be integral to the plan.

The diverse expertise of Urban Strategies’ planning and design professionals will ensure the CMP is a comprehensive and dynamic tool to guide future space changes and development. “Urban Strategies shares the university’s view that broad consultation is key to the success of this project, and the firm has identified some unique ways to engage the Queen’s and Kingston communities,” adds Ms Brady.

The project kicks off this week with meetings between the partners and key campus groups, including the advisory committee, deans, faculty representatives, Student Affairs and other administrative units. Meetings with other stakeholders, including the City of Kingston, city councillors, local residents and Kingston General Hospital, are scheduled for the new year.

Urban Strategies has built an international portfolio of innovative projects for both the public and private sectors since 1986. The firm has extensive experience working with post-secondary institutions, recognizing the importance of campuses’ distinct identities and links to their surroundings. Urban Strategies recently led the development of Cornell University’s award-winning campus master plan. The firm is currently leading a campus master plan update for the University of Guelph’s.

Urban Strategies will collaborate with several other professional affiliates in order to meet the unique requirements of planning on the Queen’s campus. The affiliates include:

• Rickes Associates, experts in analyzing and planning spaces in higher education
• Stantec Incorporated, a leader in delivering sustainable solutions for planning projects
• Betty Dion Enterprises, a unique firm well-versed in accessibility and universal design
• Willowbank, an independent educational institution that offers consulting services in the field of cultural heritage conservation including Canada’s Parliament buildings.

The Campus Master Plan website will provide regular progress updates, and an interactive blog will facilitate discussion between the project team and Queen’s and Kingston communities. The project team will host workshops and open houses for public consultation at key points during the process, with completion of the plan expected early in 2014.

The current Campus Plan was created in 1994 and updated in 2002. A Library and Archives Master Plan is currently being developed to integrate with the campus master plan.