Emory Campus Master Plan: A Walking Campus

A Walking Campus

One significant realization of the observations is that the social center of the campus has shifted over time from the main quadrangle, to the east, towards Clifton Road. The locus of the new center is between the many Health Sciences buildings along Clifton Road and the main academic world of the quadrangle. This places the new center of campus along Asbury Circle.

To create a new spine for the Emory campus, it is the intention of this plan to transform Asbury Circle from a place dominated by cars to a place dominated by people. This new piazza, or passagiata, is intended to create a series of formal and informal walks and civil spaces for interaction, while still allowing for circulation of shuttle vehicles, access for persons with disabilities, emergency and VIP vehicles. In creating this passagiata, public traffic and surface parking will be removed from Asbury Circle and Pierce Drive.

The first manifestation of this transformation has occurred at North Kilgo Circle and the remainder will be implemented incrementally in the coming years. On a broader campus-wide level, this new spine has connecting wings, like those of a butterfly, running east to the Academic Villages, and west to the Health Science and Residential Villages. These wings are currently clogged in various areas. Therefore, like angioplasty, the physical planning must remove the impediments to creating this walking campus. In particular, areas in and around the hospital to the east of Asbury Circle must be reconnected to Clifton and beyond it encourage this walking environment.