Posted by vrcvanderbilt on Monday, November 2, 2015 in Events, HART, VRC.

From exploring city planning in the ancient Mediterranean world to understanding how theater can play a role in classroom design, the Vanderbilt University Land Use Symposium on November 2 includes experts participating  from across campus as the university begins to develop a comprehensive land use plan.  Held in Alumni Hall, the all-day symposium features a full roster of speakers and is open to the Vanderbilt community.

Among the speakers are HART professors Betsey Robinson and Kevin Murphy.  Robinson, associate professor of history of art and classical studies, will address “First Principles:  Lessons in Land Use and Planning from Ancient Greece.”  Last summer she coordinated Water Cult & Culture in the Mediterranean World of the First Millennium BCE, an international symposium held at the American School of Classical Studies and the École française in Athens, Greece.  Murphy, chair of the history of art department, is leading a session entitled “Things of Quality Have No Fear of Time:  Campus Environments, Design and Preservation.”

The symposium is an initial step in the process of developing a campus land use plan, which is intended to articulate a comprehensive vision for the university’s footprint and to provide a basis for campus stewardship that enhances the university’s mission, according to Eric Kopstain, Vice Chancellor for Administration.  To help in this endeavor, Vanderbilt has selected the New Haven architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli, which has overseen master land use plans at other major universities around the world.

“The end goal is to develop a plan—through the use of forums and discussions with the broader campus community and with the help of our partner firm Pelli Clarke Pelli—that will guide investment in physical spaces that support Vanderbilt’s academic mission and create an even more vibrant campus for living and learning,” Kopstain said.  “At its foundation, the land use plan must be guided by those values related directly to our mission of teaching, research and discovery. This symposium will provide an opportunity for campus community members to hear from our world-class faculty on topics from which we can develop themes that relate directly to our planning process and begin to shape the values that will serve as the foundation for our work in the years ahead.”

*The newly renovated Alumni Hall on the Vanderbilt University campus