Nanyang Technological University

Urban Strategies led the Campus Vibrancy Master Plan (CVM) for Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). NTU is one of Asia’s leading academic institutions, with the main campus supporting some 42,000 students and employees spread over 200 hectares.  

The vision at the heart of the of the CVM is to build community both within the campus and with the surrounding communities in the Jurong West District of Singapore to promote synergies, accommodate events and build a vibrant campus that is comfortable, attractive and welcoming to all. Today, three Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations are under construction on campus that will dramatically change the arrival experience and identity of the University and better connect it with the adjacent Jurong Innovation District (JID). This investment will help the campus overcome isolation and topographic constraints. In addition to this change underway, the Plan will also help synthesize programming and placemaking, respond to emerging academic treads, promote partnerships with industry, and celebrate NTU as a remarkable institution with a significant history. 

The CVM positions several “Big Moves” that will propel the campus forward, including:

• Establishing Gateway Districts as a focus for vibrancy at the historic and emerging front doors to campus
• Connecting places of vibrancy with an expanded primary pedestrian network
• Developing mixed use intensification districts along these pedestrian routes as places for future growth
• Managing access to maintain places of quiet and repose while inviting visitors to key destinations
• Making sites for innovation more visible and high profile
• Mixing housing with other uses for a richer diversity of function and convenience
• Advancing sustainable mobility options and reducing the prominence of private automobiles

In addition to this large-scale direction, the Plan includes detailed design guidelines and proposes over 30 projects and a strategy to implement them. 

The CVM was created with input from thousands of stakeholders, gathered through the University’s Vibrancy Engagement Report and augmented by further engagement with faculty, staff and students throughout our process. An interactive video display has communicated the Plan’s key themes of Connectivity, Collaboration and Community to the University community and public at-large. As part of this process, Urban Strategies managed a team of subconsultants that represent the disciplines of architecture, landscape design, real estate and business development, transportation, user experience, wayfinding, and lighting.