This District Design Plan for UAB’s campus on the Southside of downtown Birmingham establishes a clear vision for strengthening the campus core through a connected, active, and ecologically grounded public-realm framework. 

The long-term vision for the impact of this plan is to translate the newly established identity from UAB’s core to the rest of the campus, creating an environment unique to the urban context. It is structured around four foundational themes—Connected, Active, Natural, and Engaging—which collectively shape a stronger, more coherent campus realm. Connected improvements establish a clear pedestrian framework through the creation of a defined campus quad, enhanced promenades, and safer, more legible crossings. Activestrategies target underutilized spaces, transforming them into vibrant nodes for recreation, student life, and daily movement. Naturalinterventions integrate native landscapes, green infrastructure, and sustainable plant systems to reinforce ecological identity and reduce long-term maintenance. Finally, Engaging design elements introduce distinctive campus nodes, interactive public art, and human-scaled gathering places that anchor the campus experience.

 

My role included advancing the plan’s strategic focus by shaping urban form and function recommendations, guiding concept development, and structuring a priority-based implementation roadmap that supports phased, measurable progress. I worked closely with the design team—landscape architects, planners, and university stakeholders—to synthesize district-wide insights into a development framework that balances vision with practicality. This included defining the hierarchy of open spaces and corridors, refining the placement and function of activation nodes, and aligning project components with campus-wide goals for safety, sustainability, and student/ visitor experience. The resulting strategy equips UAB with a clear sequence of near-term and long-range actions to reinforce the campus core and elevate the student, visitor, and employee experience.