Lehigh’s campuses and its connection to the SouthSide will be strengthened and transformed over the next ten years by catalytic projects and academic strategies that are the foundation of the Path to Prominence.
While each campus has its own strengths, challenges, and characteristics, each are part of a greater whole that is the University. The Campus Master Plan specifically recommends a series of initiatives, under the umbrella of “Connections”, that will improve how those within the campus community and its visitors travel within and between the three campuses.
The framework outlined below seeks to improve access, significantly reduce congestion, improve the usage of Goodman Campus, achieve a more integrated Mountaintop Campus and create a more connected, pedestrian-friendly, and sustainable campus environment by minimizing the unsustainable reliance on single-occupant vehicles.
These initiatives will also promote Lehigh’s Campus Sustainability Plan 2020, while pursuing the health and wellness aspirations that are critical to creating a strong, supportive, and healthy campus community.
Connections Vision
Campus planning, enrollment growth targets, and sustainability goals require that Lehigh reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) on the Asa Packer Campus. FY19 is the start of a phased approach to achieve this goal via a comprehensive program. Lehigh University’s Connections Plan will reduce the reliance on the automobile for on campus travel, promote ridership and expansion of the Lehigh University transit system and encourage health and wellness through walking and cycling, resulting in a more collaborative, less congested, and more sustainable environment for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors alike. The Connections Plan will seek to accomplish the following thematic goals:
- Foster a multimodal culture
- Achieve environmental sustainability
- Enhance health & wellness
- Minimize investment in new parking structures
Each of the initiatives outlined below requires a new approach and major changes to how we connect with, within, and between our campuses. While it will be challenging to implement, and represents a significant cultural change, a coherent and connected University campus will inspire community interaction beyond the buildings, and advance Lehigh's Path to Prominence while ensuring that Lehigh’s financial resources are devoted to our academic strategies.
