Developing a Resilience Tool for Higher Education Institutions: a Must-have in Campus Master Planning

Resilience has become a prominent topic in the planning and design industry over the past several years. States, cities and entire regions face an ever-growing threat of environmental and societal challenges, including natural disasters, sea level rise, climate change, terrorism and financial insolvency. Around the world, universities are leading efforts in terms of research and problem solving regarding resilience and sustainability in their broader communities. As campus planners working nationwide with higher education clients, we see an increasing opportunity for higher education researchers, leaders and institutions to bring this same leadership stance to addressing their campus' own resilience. A campus master plan is perhaps the pinnacle opportunity to connect expert researchers with campus stewards and community leaders to engage in dialogue, identify priorities and advance resilience within their campus and community. A comprehensive master plan, by its very nature, will guide and protect an institution's long-range survival and plans. Such long-range planning is now more critical than ever given the deep financial pressures and flat or declining demographics that so many institutions face. Being proactive versus reactive increases the likelihood that institutions will succeed and continue to meet the needs of students and communities. Universities should continue or begin to address resilience challenges and opportunities in whatever scope possible. This paper will give university leaders and industry participants a broad framework to direct discussion and dissect levels of resilience, opportunities and potential shortfalls, and highlight resilient campus planning best practices. The aim is to provide a framework for institutions to measure and strengthen the resilience of their infrastructure, culture, and systems, while contributing to the resilience of their communities.