The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has established an ambitious goal to become a Top-Tier national research institution while also adding two million new square feet of space. The new Master Plan will position the school as an active, socially conscious and exciting destination for advanced research and scholarly exchange and collaborative education.
By building upon foundation elements from previous plans, the master plan provides UTD with a flexible framework allowing the campus to respond to changing emphases and priorities of the University. It recommends replacing and expanding on-campus student housing and providing additional classrooms and research labs. It also articulates a vision for a more vibrant academic core, a renewed student life experience, connected and enhanced open spaces, and a balanced approach between enhancing mobility and access while respecting the surrounding community. The plan also accommodates emerging research programs by providing opportunities for private investment in mixed-use transit oriented development and research activity.
The UTD Campus Master Plan was developed through a comprehensive and collaborative planning process led by a leadership team consisting of senior university administrators and appointed academic representatives. Interactive open houses were used to solicit input from students, faculty, and staff while more intimate and inclusive outreach sessions were held with numerous students from a variety of departments through campus-wide forums. Feedback from these initiatives generated an aspirational collective vision for the future UTD campus.
To strengthen the relationship with the local community, meetings were held with City of Richardson officials that identified strategies for reducing university traffic impacts on adjacent neighborhoods and strengthening pedestrian connections to the future Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) station.
There are numerous aspects of the Campus Master Plan that enable UTD to transform from a once perceived commuter campus into a functional, attractive, and inspiring destination. UTD is now among the youngest schools to be recognized as a research leader in the United States.
