John Eligon examines the private student housing building boom, and asks whether we are spoiling college students with luxurious off-campus amenities to the detriment of academic and social environments.
With growing freshman classes (up 28 percent in the last five years at the University of Missouri, for instance) universities are relying more and more on private off-campus developments to house their students.
Unlike on-campus housing, which is more modest and includes traditional learning facilities like classrooms and resident faculty, the off-campus housing trend appears to eclipse learning altogether through recreation and relaxation. Elaborate game rooms, beach volleyball courts, outdoor pools and workout machinery that integrates email, all make for an isolated, purportedly stress-free environment where students can socialize and entertain the notion of skipping classes altogether.
At the University of Missouri's Columbia campus, private developers are housing over 3,800 students in units built over the last two years. Rental rates are competitive with the on-campus living costs, yet double the cost of older housing in the area, leading to a cultural divide.
Apart from these culture wars and the debate over how much learning is lost in these off-campus environments, there is concern among market analysts and university officials that this is just another bubble about to burst.
FULL STORY: In student housing, luxuries overshadow studying
California Colleges Debate Letting Students Sleep in Cars
Long Beach City College offers a Safe Parking Program to enrolled students who need a safe place to spend the night. Other schools are skeptical.
Youth, Inexperience, and a Sense of Mission
Forty years ago this week, I arrived in Tallahassee to take my first full-time university job. It was a nervous moment. After nearly eight years of graduate school, I was about to learn if I was any good at the career I'd prepared so long to begin.
Almost Half of Michigan Community Colleges Not Transit-Accessible
Access to transportation is a major hurdle for many community college students, but local transit systems often fail to serve them.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.
Safe Parking Programs Help People Access Housing
The safety and stability offered by Safe Parking sites have helped 40 percent of unhoused San Diego residents who accessed these programs get into permanent housing.
Study: Single-Staircase Buildings Pose No Additional Risks
Zoning codes have long prohibited single-stair residential buildings due to safety concerns, but changing that could lower the cost of construction and allow for more flexible housing designs.
Forest Service Rescinds Tree Planting Grants
The $75 million program fell victim to the federal government’s purge of ‘DEI’-related projects.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research