Assistant vice-president Darryl Boyce presented the Campus Master Plan for Development Oct. 20 (Photo: Portia Baladad)
 
 
Keeping academic buildings closer together, opening the tunnels to allow more natural light, and more informal green space were some of the recommendations that came out of a town hall meeting for the 2009 Campus Master Plan for Development Oct. 20.
 
The original plan, approved in 1998, deals with everything from the tunnel systems, to the residence buildings, to just about any other aspect of campus planning and infrastructure.
 
This year, master plan committee ran a questionnaire to find out what students were most and least satisfied with, and in what areas they would like to see change. Student response indicated they liked the natural setting of the campus, recent landscaping improvements, the useful tunnel system and the quad.
 
What they weren’t too happy with was the “ugly” and “poorly maintained” buildings, the loss of informal green space and the “dark and dirty state of the tunnels.”
 
Architects and planners have reacted to the students’ opinions and have set forth new goals.
 
The committee said they would like to see Carleton become a more sustainable, effective community, and have already initiated this by hiring the campus’s first sustainability officer, Murdo Murchison.
 
A greater focus on buildings opening onto the canal, as well as more informal green space was emphasized. Plans to open up the quad so it has a view of the river have already been set in motion through planned renovations to Paterson Hall.  
 
They said they would like to see compact academic growth — i.e. more academic buildings within a 10-minute walk from each other. Plans to improve the library have also been put in place.
 
Emphasis is being placed on making Carleton’s buildings more interactive and student friendly, by opening up the first three levels and putting private offices on upper levels.  
 
Many attending the meeting still weren’t satisfied with what they were hearing.
 
Complaints were heard regarding the isolation of the athletic buildings and the fact that this discourages students from leading an active lifestyle or attending sporting venues. Concerns were also expressed about the congestion occurring on campus, and the fact that this is likely to worsen with expansion.