The Master Plan focusses on the Academic Core of campus (see map below), which is the area where student and academic facilities are concentrated.
Now over a half-century old, York has reached a critical point in its evolution as it becomes a truly urban university. While external communities and the campus itself continue to grow, the University will face future opportunities for major investment as it possesses significant untapped, strategic land resources. With the extension of the Spadina Subway line through campus, and the significant development potential of the perimeter lands surrounding the Academic Core, York has an important role to play in city-building.
An updated vision for the Keele Campus will support York’s ongoing transformation from an exurban campus to a ‘campus in the city’.
The new Master Plan is a renewed framework to guide the continued evolution of the Keele Campus to meet the needs of academic and student activities, accommodate new priority capital projects, ensure compliance with the City’s Secondary Plan requirements and facilitate the University’s long-term growth. The Master Plan builds on the solid foundation that has been laid in York University’s first 50 years. The shift to a mature urban campus will happen incrementally as each new component enhances the quality of campus life and contributes to a larger vision for the Keele Campus.
As the third largest university in Canada, with the main Keele Campus spanning 457 acres, York University has grown substantially since the last Master Plan was prepared over 20 years ago. Demands on the campus require the University to understand how all of the elements embodied in the succession of master planning efforts have contributed to the evolution of the campus to date and how it can continue to successfully evolve.
The first Keele Campus Master Plan was published in 1963. In 1988, YUDC assisted the University in updating the Master Plan.
By 2009, there were substantial changes in and near the campus since the 1988 Master Plan - for example, two TTC subway stations were confirmed to be constructed on campus, the Pan Am Games Athletics stadium was being planned for the campus and a new residential community south of the campus was slated for development. These major changes to the Keele campus landscape called for a review of the Master Plan to ensure that it better reflected the changing needs of the York community.
ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN
Three ‘lenses’ are being used to examine the use of the University grounds. Each lens focuses on conditions and considerations that influence the physical character of the campus and contributes to an enhanced community.
Overall, the Master Plan is very specific about the vision, principles and actions that are expected to assist in the management of change on campus over the long term. It represents a coherent and comprehensive approach to planning for the York University Keele Campus. It promotes the intensification of the Academic Core, which will support transit and make efficient and cost-effective use of existing infrastructure investments.
To view the updated Keele Campus Master Plan, click here.