BACKGROUND
Houston Community College (HCC) is a public community college system that operates colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford. It is notable for actively recruiting internationally with enrollment over 5,700 in 2015. Its open enrollment policies, which do not require proficiency in English, are backed by a full-time 18-month English proficiency program and remedial courses, making it an attractive option for those students.
Page partnered with HCC to develop a 3-step process. The first step was to evaluate the existing uses, physical conditions, and system wide institutional and academic organization. The second step was to create innovative structures for communication and decision making between the university, the community, and the planning team. Lastly, develop designs and implementation plans for 21 campuses considering their integration into the social and physical environment of the communities that the campuses are embedded in.
Session Outline
1.Introduction
2.The Evolution of the Academic Campus in our Cities.
3.Strategies and implementation of a more porous and community rooted campus using HCC as an example
4.Campus as a Community Catalyst Outcomes
-Creation of physical networks and connections such as access roads, pedestrian gateways
-Increased community wide access to parks, creeks, and nature
-Established more coordination and partnerships with surrounding industries
-Local job generation and work opportunities
-Infusion of relevant, local academic programs
-Increased diversity and social equity
5.Q&A
Alex Medina
Alex, is an architect and urban designer who focuses on designing spaces at a human scale. He draws on his dual background in both architecture and urban design to inform the development of his projects by planning and designing spaces that speak to the user’s experience, both in the built …
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Alex, is an architect and urban designer who focuses on designing spaces at a human scale. He draws on his dual background in both architecture and urban design to inform the development of his projects by planning and designing spaces that speak to the user’s experience, both in the built environment and the spaces that surround it. Whether designing large-scale cities to be more people-oriented, or smaller academic campuses for students and faculty, Alex always keeps the end user top of mind. Alex enjoys working closely with clients to understand what the specific needs are for each project. His experience doing international work has given him a broad perspective and a mindset geared towards fi nding the optimal.
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Jackie Longoria
Before joining Page, Jackie spent 6 years working in the Planning Department at the Houston Downtown Management District. During that time, she managed planning and capital improvement projects and worked closely with consultants to develop design strategies that enhanced the urban environment connecting emerging neighborhoods. Jackie believes in the importance …
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Before joining Page, Jackie spent 6 years working in the Planning Department at the Houston Downtown Management District. During that time, she managed planning and capital improvement projects and worked closely with consultants to develop design strategies that enhanced the urban environment connecting emerging neighborhoods. Jackie believes in the importance of approaching design problems from the user’s perspective. Through close interaction and collaborations with diverse groups, she has learned that vision planning, and engagement is pivotal to implementation. She believes successful projects depend on the designer’s ability to listen, analyze and react in an innovative way that supports the community.
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