Project
From Enclave
to Campus
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA, USA
From Commuters
to Leaders
Northeastern University’s Campus Master Plan outlines the next 10 to 15 years of the institution’s growth on its dense Boston campus, including streetscape improvements to major corridors like Forsyth Street.
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Formerly a commuter school, Northeastern has become a nationally-ranked research institution in need of new academic, athletic and research facilities and improved landscapes.
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Because the plan calls for new development (in red) across the MBTA’s Orange Line, south toward Roxbury, community outreach is an essential component of the plan.
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The plan proposes greater densification and connectivity, both physical and pedagogical, to make a more creative campus.
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Since opening in 1898, and with NBBJ’s planning help, Northeastern University has transformed from an urban commuter school serving a regional population to a top-50, nationally recognized research institution.
Now, more than 15,000 undergraduates call Northeastern home, and a once-patchy campus is rapidly filling in. With explosive growth underway — within a small area bounded by residential neighborhoods, parks, cultural institutions and other universities, and bisected by railroad tracks — the university needed to carefully plan the next 10 to 15 years of expansion.
NBBJ helped Northeastern identify the best sites for new academic, athletic and research facilities, then outlined a plan for phased development. The plan emphasizes connectivity, both physical and pedagogical, to make the campus more cohesive.
Crucially, the process also reached out to the adjacent Roxbury neighborhood. After many public hearings, the planning team and the university arrived at a vision that balanced residents’ concerns with the university’s need for expansion and continued ability to bring investment to greater Boston.
