RMIT university lawn precinct a case study in urban renewal and the design of public space

Abstract

Introduction: The University Lawn Precinct is a rare example of a large-scale urban refurbishment within an existing university campus embedded within the city. The ambition for the project was to transform a once degraded campus into a vibrant urban venue as a new public place-a place that reconnected the university back into the city it occupies. The University Lawn Precinct forms part of a larger campus-wide Urban Spaces Project that commenced in the mid-1990s. Originally a gravel car park hemmed in at the rear of the main university buildings, this forgotten service area has been transformed into a richly layered urban realm. The university has worked closely with the City of Melbourne as part of a sustained program of pedestrianisation and urban enhancement.