The UC Davis student population is exploding—an additional 30% over the next 10 years—and the university is bursting at the seams. To accommodate those 10,000 new students, the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) focused on housing and mobility through 2040. 

Having completed the University’s previous LRDP in 2003, we hit the ground running, based on our knowledge of the University’s teaching, research and public service missions, as well as its goals to promote innovation, preserve campus character and be thoughtful stewards of natural resources. 

The LRDP includes innovative methods for reducing vehicle travel through improved transit, integrating on-demand vehicles and pre-designing for soon-to-come autonomous vehicles. It also identifies new student residential models—such as student hotels and value-added P3 financing.

The multifaceted outreach approach helped the University engage the university community, local Davis residents and people from the wider Sacramento region. In addition to advisory group study sessions, a survey and interactive website, we put a twist on an art exhibition with a series of large format graphics that conveyed the various planning, programs and land use changes being considered. A “virtual gallery” website mirrored the real-world content. As people “walk” through the gallery, they physically followed the story of how the campus could grow and change over time and integrate into the community, offering environmental, social and economic benefits to the community—while answering questions and providing realtime feedback. 

The University of California Board of Regents adopted the LRDP in 2018, and an interactive online version will be available soon. 

This project received the 2017 Innovative Public Outreach Award, APA California, Sacramento Valley Section.