University as Developer: Explaining Urban Campus Expansion
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Muschong, Jenna
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Abstract
This paper asks: why have higher education institutions expanded their campus footprints and intensified real estate strategies in urban contexts with established markets, what major policies and events have contributed to this change, and how has such change been reflected in urban spatial networks? To answer these questions, this study uses a comparative analysis of the Georgia Institute of Technology (public) and New York University (private), tracing the determinants linking funding pressures, governance structures, and market incentives to real estate expansion through document analysis, spatial mapping, and qualitative interviews. The findings show that while both institutions responded to similar structural pressures including enrollment growth, research expansion, and insufficient public or tuition revenue, they pursued fundamentally different spatial strategies embedded in their governance structures and urban contexts. Understanding the governance structures and fiscal pressures that drive these decisions is essential for planning practitioners seeking to engage universities as economic development partners. Doing so effectively requires leveraging universities’ institutional capacity and ensuring that expansion strategies align with broader public interests in land use, affordability, and community benefits.
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2026-04
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Text
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Applied Research Paper
Masters Project
Masters Project
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