Leaders at the Georgia Institute of Technology have released the 2023 Campus Comprehensive Plan. It lays out a series of proposed changes and improvements for the university through 2031.

The 130-page document focuses on sustainability, improving student experience, and creating a pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

Vice President of Infrastructure and Sustainability, Maria Cimilluca, said their plan to remove cars in key locations will give students more places to connect.

“When you're walking across campus, you're bumping into other students,” Cimilluca said. “You're engaging in the sculpture or the artwork that we have on campus. You're outside having lunch or studying, and those experiences are not interrupted by having cars.”

The previous campus plan came out nearly 20 years ago according to the university, but led to developments like the John Lewis Student Center and the Eco Commons. Other goals in the new plan include creating 2,000 new beds for first-year students, a larger campus tree canopy, and additional indoor and outdoor athletic fields.

Cimilluca said a major part of this new plan was ensuring that it includes input from the community on the best use of the land.

“We engaged with researchers, administration, faculty, staff, students, and, you know, held town hall,” she said. “ We really did try to touch every segment and hundreds and hundreds of people so that they could contribute to the plan itself.”

The changes are also part of a larger plan to decrease carbon emissions on campus. Georgia Tech is expecting to release a full climate action plan in January.

The 2023 Comprehensive Campus Plan has its own website where the full document will be available and progress updates will be provided.

Tags: Georgia Tech  emissions reduction  carbon pollution  Atlanta  Georgia  college campuses  cars  air pollution