Campus Master Plan Summary Brochure: "A View to the Future".
Key to the 2000 Master Plan, developed by what is now Planning, Space Management and Capital Projects, are the "fundamental concepts". These ten guidelines, a result of the two-year planning process, are directions for future planning. The fundamental concepts will be used to test and evaluate the scope and direction of major projects at Western Michigan University, including building projects, road and parking improvements and signage.
The 2000 Master Plan also contains an illustrated plan as an example of what the WMU campus may develop to in twenty or thirty years, based on current growth projections. The example, illustrated graphically through maps and sketches, depicts ideas relating to buildings, residence halls, pedestrian spaces, “green spaces” and vehicular circulation.
The viewer should understand that these ideas, as presented, are not planning solutions—they are merely graphics, prepared by the planning consultants, suggesting a solution that satisfies the fundamental concepts.
2000 Campus Master Plan Summary Brochure
Spring 2001 update: Executive summary
The first update to the WMU Campus Master Plan.
Technical Report 2002 update: Executive summary
The Technical Report of the WMU Campus Master Plan is the complete record of the master planning process: organization, meetings, analysis, summaries and recommendations.
The Technical Report was compiled and produced by the master planning consultants SmithGroup JJR of Ann Arbor, Michigan, under the direction of Evie Asken, Director of Campus Planning. The Technical Report was completed September 2002.
2002 Technical Report Volume I
2002 Technical Report Volume II
2004 Campus Master Plan update
The 1903 and 1906 plans generated by E. W. Arnold for the first Western Normal School buildings on Prospect Hill were essentially master plans. The most critical feature of any successful master plan, however, is whether it is reviewed and updated in a timely fashion, allowing the institution to both anticipate and respond to change.
The generally accepted planning standard is to formally review and update master plans in five to ten year intervals. Informal planning exercises happen frequently in the meantime, but the periodic formal documentation is critical to maintaining the structure of long-term physical planning and fulfilling the institution's mission.
2004 Campus Master Plan Update Map
2008 Campus Master Plan Update workshop
WMU Campus Facilities conducted Master Plan update meetings on October 23 and 24, 2008. Below is a chart summarizing the different topics that were discussed.
Click image to enlarge
Workshop topics
General campus issues, East Campus and Parkview Campus
Off-campus issues
Planning process and general information
Roads, wayfinding signs and parking
Student-oriented and campus housing issues
2008-09 Campus Master Plan update: Sustainability and environmental issues
Revisions to the Campus Master Plan.
2008-09 Campus Master Plan update
2010 Campus Master Plan update
WMU Campus Planning held two Master Plan workshops in 2010, one in the spring and one in the fall. Each session provided lively discussion and comments, but for the most part served to reinforce the Ten Fundamental Concepts that form the basis of the Campus Master Plan. Both sessions, as always, were open to the campus community and the general public.
A new feature of the fall presentation was the "Hot Topics" survey, which sought comments and opinions on the quality, function and usability of the WMU campus.
Survey summary and overview
Overall statistics
"Getting Lost"—Questions 3 and 4
"Safety"—Questions 5 and 6
"Favorite Outdoor Spaces"—Question 7
"Favorite Buildings"—Question 8
"Would Like to See"—Question 9
"General Comments"—Question 10