Design Strategies for Connectivity

Civitas has been engaged in an ongoing series of studies of urban design vision, connectivity, mobility and placemaking at the Washington University Medical Center since 2009. Initially a study to bring more order and orientation onto this complex campus of over 40,000 people daily, the effort developed into a deep dive into data, user surveys, origin-destination analyses, transportation mode utilization and optimization of all modes of access to and within the campus.

The campus consists of five major entitities including the rapidly developing Cortex Innovation Community, which now supports over 800 businesses related to all forms of innovation and research including bio-sciences related to the medical center. The effort contributed to the establishment of a new light rail station to support Cortex; a new greenway corridor through the heart of the campus to support the Great Rivers Greenway District’s regional master plan; site specific pedestrian, bicycle, traffic and parking refinements; and alignment among the five major institutions that for the campus on the significance of their public realm.

The project(s) range from visionary propositions for placemaking and connectivity to detailed design for streets, pedestrian corridors, courtyards and gathering spaces.