The trajectory of traditional higher education may be in flux.  Yet the value of physical campus, however difficult to define, endures.  Leonard Rodrigues, former University Architect at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, has written a Guest Commentary considering the role of the university campus as a “condensation nuclei” for the city as a complex system.  Len’s observations consider the urban nature of the campus.  This thesis honors the influence of Kevin Lynch, one of his mentors at MIT, as well as the work of Jayne Jacobs and  Ken Greenberg.

A previous Guest Commentary by Duke Oakley follows Len’s piece.  While the rationales and perspectives differ, both arguments support the value and long-term viability of the campus.  My thanks to each for their contributions to a continuing discussion about the future of the campus.

Leonard Rodrigues is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He has practiced architecture throughout western Canada and from 2003 to 2008, he was University Architect at the University Alberta in Edmonton. Now based in Vancouver, he is completing a doctorate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta.

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