Evaluation of a Campus Space

This study is perhaps more appropriately described as an evaluation for design. It is an assessment of a major outdoor space on the University of Massachusetts campus, a space that had been transformed over a period of approximately 10 years without benefit of a design to guide its evolution. The objective therefore was to assess users’ perceptions and patterns of use for inclusion in the program for the future design of the space. An important element of consideration in the assessment was the long-standing planning assumption as to the physical and social significance of this central campus space adjacent to the Student Union.