University leaders are in the process of updating the campus master plan to prepare for future facility development.
Facilities Services presented its report concerning the issue at Thursday's Committee on Faculty meeting.
The Campus Master Plan Committee and the Housing Plan Committee have been working in conjunction with design firm Sasaki Associates, Inc. and facility planning firm Brailsford & Dunlavey to create a report that will be submitted to the administration for review, according to Tom Ganey, director of facilities planning and design and construction.
Commentary on the review will be used to develop a campus master plan and map. Based on the plan and map, new facilities projects will be chosen by priority.
The report includes six planning principles and 10 planning themes to guide future projects, as well as a statement and map describing what Facilities Services plans on doing, Ganey said.
To make the review, the committees looked at the capacity of existing lands, parking capacity, a campus housing survey, the size and condition of academic and student life buildings and information from other groups on campus, according to Ganey.
"It's important for students to know that the university is envisioning the future," Ganey said. "Hopefully out of this we will be able to set priorities for facility improvement."
One proposed improvement is a North 14th Street pedestrian mall.
"14th Street is a major artery of pedestrian movement through the campus," Ganey said. "We have an opportunity to reserve this corridor and create a wonderful mall running from one side of campus to the other."
The mall would run from West Clybourn Street to West Wells Street, connecting important hubs of activity, such as Raynor Library and the Alumni Memorial Union, he said.
"They (the COF) see 14th Street as a possibility for a connector mall to bring the north and south parts of campus together the way that the mall behind the library brings the east and west sides together," said William Thorn, associate professor of journalism and secretary for the COF. "The long range plan looks at how to keep campus together, and a mall there would be a way."
The university master plan was last updated in 1997.