Introduction
What is a capacity study?
A capacity study closely examines all aspects of current physical conditions, from architecture to traffic flow to storm-water management. The goal is to give planners a sense of where we stand so we can determine where we are going.
The focus of the Newark Campus Capacity Study is to take a comprehensive look at the physical composition of the campus and, most importantly, to consider how that composition helps us to succeed in our educational mission and attain the milestones identified on our Path to Prominence.
With this capacity study, we are assessing our built environment and our green space, our utility infrastructure and our environmental impact, our roads and parking and pedestrian traffic. We also are considering the centers of gravity on campus.
It's equally important to recognize what a capacity plan is not. It is not a campus plan, setting out specific construction projects for specific locations, and it is not a master plan, designed to plan growth decades into the future. Just as significantly, it is not a study of academic or programmatic capacity and opportunities for growth. Instead, its scope is limited to the physical campus and the strengths and challenges that physical structure provides as a foundation for the University's academic mission.