Place

Promote vibrant sustainable and inclusive Village development

Rationale

Making Sewanee a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable community with more affordable housing options, safe transportation networks, and improved amenities will help attract prospective students and employees, even those who choose not to live in Sewanee. Such an approach to Village development will facilitate connections between the study of sustainability and our lived community. Purposeful development of the Village will foster the relationships that students have with faculty, staff, and community mentors, which are a hallmark of the student education at the University of the South.

Description

The Sewanee Village is a strategic asset to the University and an amenity to those who study, work, or reside in Sewanee. As such, it represents an important area of investment akin to residence halls, academic programs, and our suite of hospitality offerings such as the Sewanee Inn and the Course at Sewanee. Achieving greater critical mass of residency in and around the Village will catalyze more substantive and longer-lasting retail and commercial businesses to meet the needs of an expanding and diversifying community. As a result, a more thriving and enchanting community will emerge with a more genuine and richer sense of place.

Supporting Tactics
  • Increase access to affordable employee housing in the Village of Sewane to deepen relationships forged between students and faculty and staff with students. Continuing to invest in initiatives such as unique financial lending programs and employee-centric home construction efforts helps sustain the formation of a robust and active community that contributes to the mission of the University. A variety of housing types—single-family, apartment, townhome/condominium—will be offered to meet the varied needs and economic circumstances of a large employee body, and the desire to move from one housing type to another.
  • Incentivize retail and commercial investments to serve the growing and varied needs of our community to help offset any sense of isolation, and importantly, offer students and employees necessary services (e.g. groceries, childcare, dining, and personal care services) and third-space gathering alternatives.
  • Enhance placemaking to complement an enhanced presence of residents and businesses in the Village. The University will invest in projects dedicated to organizing the physical space in a manner that creates greater utility and access. Parking, wayfinding, biking and pedestrian mobility, lighting, gathering spaces, and public art are all examples of initiatives that combine to provide a more cohesive and delightful experience to students, employees, residents, and visitors.
  • Create public space in the Village green to serve as a public gathering area as an enhancement to the downtown area, which will foster relations among community members and students.
  • Enhance safe and low-carbon transportation including expansion of bicycle lanes and use of electric vans for transportation of students and employees. Doing so will also help the University achieve stated environmental goals, foster a sense of inclusivity by helping those without cars to attend to their material needs, and encourage a healthy lifestyle.