~The one for Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where community vitality matters more than grand new buildings.

Symbiosis
1: the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms (as in parasitism or commensalism); especially: mutualism.
2: a cooperative relationship (as between two persons or groups)

“Symbiosis was adopted by the scientific community in the late 1800s, coming ultimately (via German) from the Greek symbíōsis, meaning “living together, companionship.”

PLACEMAKING & PARTNERSHIPS

Many campus masterplans come with grand visions of even grander buildings variously hailed as “magnets,” “gateways,” “landmarks” or otherwise lauded lynchpins of transformation. Not this one. Because change is not always about fanfare, and growth isn’t always about numbers, Augustana’s new 20-year master plan favors subtle, surgical alterations on campus, stronger definition along the “college-city” edge and new partnerships off campus to stake out a deeper and more vibrant presence that centers students and community vitality.

Like so many small, liberal arts colleges throughout the country, Augustana, located in historic Rock Island, Illinois, faces the dual challenge of rising costs and declining enrollment as the pool of potential college students shrinks.

While Augusta has fared better than many in terms of enrollment, thanks in part to a strong athletic program, the town of Rock Island has struggled to regain its footing in a post-industrial era. As residents and students head to nearby Davenport, just across the river, to spend their free time, many local businesses have closed, leading to a spiral of disinvestment in the community and around the campus. The resulting deterioration of housing stock, limited shopping options and reduced vibrancy makes it harder to attract students.

Located on a lovely and leafy 113 acres along the Mississippi, the college doesn’t lack for campus appeal. What the 164-year-old institution needs to stay relevant, leaders concluded in their recent strategic planning work, are three things: ways to involve and support students more fully in their learning and living at Augustana, stronger links with surrounding neighborhoods, the City of Rock Island and the region, and strategies that make school assets and offerings more valuable.

Enter Jones Architecture, with real estate planning consultant U3 Advisors, to develop a 20-year campus master plan that helps meet these goals. We undertook a deep, data-collection dive that reached beyond a detailed campus analysis to include information about Rock Island itself, e.g. employee drive times, property records, student walk radius etc. Our analysis revealed three unusual — and related — opportunities, along with two more typical, though no less important, ideas to pursue.

FIVE THEMES

1. Community Partnerships focus on the interdependence of Augustana and Rock Island, as does 2. Activate Campus Edges; 3. Student Villages leans on an unusual housing model owned by the college off campus, called “transitional living areas” or TLAs. The plan also calls for 4. Reinforcing Campus Precincts through a handful of projects, and finally, 5. Maintenance and ongoing concerns with campus buildings.

Everyone loves a good college town
The ideal “town and gown” relationship is not just symbiotic but balanced: the college and its community enjoy mutual benefit, each energizing the other. If enrollment is steady or trending upward, this mutuality is less important to the college than it is to the town occupies. Conversely, the more a city has going for it, the less it depends on the college for its vitality.

A key strategy in Augustana’s master plan to is to build on community partnerships to help achieve that balance and create a vibrancy feedback loop. A simple example: Build a better field house and improve the main gym/arena. Agree with Parks & Rec to open campus athletic facilities for community use. Earn revenue from the city (saved from managing more facilities) while reinforcing the college’s athletic program and providing students and residents with opportunities to connect.

Other partnerships would involve the housing and business sectors to boost development in depressed commercial zones south and east of campus. This meets both student desires for more shopping and food destinations near campus and the community’s need for economic development.

No one really loves “college house” neighborhoods.
A distinct part of Augustana’s culture – and its real estate portfolio – lies in its transitional living areas (TLAs) along the campus’ western edge. Private homes and rentals mingle with 50+Augustana TLA houses and apartment buildings that house more than 800 seniors. The overall impression is what you’d expect in a high-turnover neighborhood: an unruly mix of marginally maintained homes that have seen better days.

While managing these units is a strain on the facilities and operations team, the TLA experience is highly desirable for Augustana students. The recommendation: consolidate, clarify and clean up. By pursing strategic property sales, purchases, upgrades and resales, Augustana can create more interactive and coherent TLAs through a pilot “Student Village,” while providing the opportunity for faculty and staff to own a home close to campus. This approach ameliorates the “ragged edge” condition that makes it difficult to create an upbeat brand and presence in the area while offering benefits to both students and staff.

Campus love can only go deeper.
While engaging partners, rethinking off-campus housing and smoothing campus edges speak to the idea of creating a more dynamic “College Hill” district that enriches students’ overall experience, changes on the Augustana campus itself aim to expand students’ learning lives. Recommendations include classroom renovations to promote active teaching and learning, small additions to create more robust and convenient support services, upgrades to two athletic facilities and a multicultural center.

"Partnering with Jones Architecture and U3 Advisors was a great decision that will benefit the college well into the future, said Augustana President Andrea Talentino. “The vision they developed connects with our strategic goals and will guide our academic, residential, and community focus for decades."

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“We’re impressed with Jones Architecture and U3 Advisor’s commitment to learning campus culture and engaging the voices of students, faculty, and staff. The team helped us create a cohesive campus master plan that balances the needs of today’s students with the available resources and strategic position of the college.”

— Kirk Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration, Augustana College

• TEAM:

  Rick Jones
  Peter Shanahan

• COLLABORATORS:

  U3 Advisors:
  Urban Planners