The Campus Then and Now: Perspectives on University Architecture and Urbanism

Dear Colleagues,

The ensembles of diachronic architectures that form our universities have increasingly been recognized as a complex and distinctive category of spatial planning. It is therefore not surprising that a number of campuses have been deemed sites of historical interest that still play a crucial role in shaping collective identity. Such recognition reflects not only their architectural, urban, and environmental values but also the broader cultural significance of the institutions they embody. As living and evolving environments, campuses integrate architectural layers of the past with those of the present, and in many cases their development has left a lasting imprint on the growth and transformation of cities.

Against this backdrop, this Special Issue seeks to foster critical reflection on the architecture, urban planning, and landscape design of university campuses. Contributions may engage with a wide range of questions, from the materiality and form of campus spaces to their social, cultural, and territorial impact. The following themes are suggested as possible directions for inquiry, though submissions are not limited to these:

• The architecture of educational facilities and their adaptation to successive generations and changing curricular frameworks;
• University heritage: research, preservation, and management strategies;
• The urban and territorial implications of campus planning;
• Models of the campus, spanning from comprehensive planning approaches to the design of individual buildings;
• The interaction and dialogue between campuses and their natural or built environments;
• Historical perspectives on the evolution of campus spaces and their cultural meanings;
• The role of universities and campuses in the context of developing countries;
• Student residences and the significance of inhabiting the campus as part of academic life.

By encouraging diverse methodological approaches and comparative perspectives, this Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of the campus as both a physical space and a cultural construct, while highlighting its enduring influence on education, society, and the urban fabric.

Dr. Nicolas Marine
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Architecture is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• campus architecture
• campus urbanism
• architectural ensembles
• cultural heritage
• landscape architecture