Community and Sustainability
While talking about the campus’s short-comings, it’s important to
recognize its assets. Parkland is a truly unique environment. It has a
sense of community that not many campuses have. Between the campuses’s
diverse but unified architecture and it’s dense, centralized planning,
there is a real sense of place. It is a very walkable campus with
access to mass transit, landscaped gardens for student interaction and
interconnecting wings that allow for year-round access. These are
assets that add to Parkland’s competitive edge over other community
colleges and 4-year institutions.
With
the future development of the campus, we are focusing on sustainable
principles. The overall guiding idea is to meet the needs of campus
development and its operations with minimal environmental impact. This
relates to efficient use of infrastructure, preservation of existing
ecology, sustainable site planning, safeguard water and water
efficiency, energy efficiency, conservation of materials and resources
and indoor environmental quality. These ideals will extend from
planning and into the design and construction of each campus project.
By
reflecting the character of the campus; limiting environmental impact
on the site and resources; and creating a diverse and lively
environment; we can create the kind of competitive campus that will
draw and retain the kind of talent that the Parkland needs for its
future.