Opportunities to create a more pedestrian-friendly campus were on the agenda last week, as the StFX community had a glimpse at some exciting ways the university campus could evolve in the coming years.
On Tuesday, January 10th, the university hosted a presentation and discussion on its campus planning framework, a process that’s examining how people interact with the StFX campus and suggesting opportunities for improvement over the next 5, 10 and 20 years.
While the framework is still in draft form, it encompasses topics like parking, traffic flow, pedestrian zones, designating green spaces and identifying of areas of campus suitable for future development. The framework is a living document that itself should change and evolve, depending on StFX’s future needs and goals.
Among the topics discussed this week were proposals to restrict vehicular traffic on targeted sections of campus and designate some spaces as pedestrian-only or shared-use. Under the proposals, Martha Drive could become a pedestrian plaza closed to most vehicular traffic with the exception of service and emergency vehicles. Another proposal would see the section of Notre Dame Avenue in front of Lane Hall convert to a pedestrian plaza, with support for vehicular traffic during certain events or at certain times of the day.
The idea is to shift parking to the perimeter of campus so StFX feels more pedestrian than vehicle-friendly, creating more spaces for learning, living and recreation with reduced impact from cars and traffic. This is balanced by the need to ensure accessible parking across campus for people with special mobility considerations, and access for service vehicles.
Given the long-term nature of campus planning, some of the opportunities identified may not be considered for a number of years. However, the construction of Mulroney Hall (anticipated to begin this spring) gives StFX the opportunity to test some ideas over the next 18 months – including both the Martha Drive and Notre Dame Avenue proposals.
Members of the StFX community who were not able to attend the session are encouraged to review the draft framework online and send their feedback to campusplanning@stfx.ca by Friday, February 3rd. Feedback will be shared with Nycum & Associates and SmithGroupJJR, the campus planning team leading this work on behalf of StFX.
StFX looks forward to sharing the finalized framework plan upon its completion in the coming months.