New International Organization is Created to Promote College Town Leadership and Relationship Building between College, Municipal and Community Leaders TownGown World Article By: Chip Boyles Executive Director; International TownGown Association April 2009, U.S.A
CLEMSON, S.C. The Clemson Joint City-University Advisory Board, (JCUAB) has officially formed a non-profit corporation, the International Town & Gown Association. After two years of research, the JCUAB created this network of resources to assist civic leaders, university officials, faculty, neighborhood residents and students to collaborate on common services, programs, academic research and citizen issues. During the current economic crisis, the ITGAs initial focus has been on sharing examples of how college and community are working together to collectively raise revenues and lower expenses. Additional college town issue discussions include economic development, alcohol use, planning & housing, health & safety, and other common issues. The ITGA has initiated a web site at that describes these communication services and member benefits of the organization. Clemson University President James F. Barker and City of Clemson Mayor Larry W. Abernathy acting as the Founding Organizers of the new non-profit, established the first Board of Directors for the International Town & Gown Association on September 15, 2008 and appointed Chip Boyles as the agencys first Executive Director. President Barker and Mayor Abernathy stated in a letter to prospective founding members, We have affirmed a need to bring the leaders of colleges and universities together with community leaders to engage their staff, faculty, volunteers, citizens and students to work together in a more collaborative effort in addressing problems and creating opportunities specific to issues of college towns. Increasing operating costs, shrinking budgets and higher living and educational demands from students and citizens make partnering for a common good more important now than ever. The University of Colorado-Boulder, the City of Boulder, CO and California Polytechnic State University became the first official Founding Partners for the ITGA and adding a host of general members from colleges, college towns and businesses across the US and Canada. (Editors note: You can Contact Chip at cboyles@town-gown.net )
Houses in multiple occupation and possible planning responses Consultation : Department for Communities and Local Government: London May 2009, England
Problems caused by high concentrations of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have been highlighted as an issue in a number of towns and cities across the country. This consultation document aims to test the validity of such concerns and explore what, if anything, might be proposed as a solution
CLOSING THE GAP: NEW PARTNERSHIPS FOR GREAT NEAR-CAMPUS NEIGHBOURHOODS IN LONDON, ONTARIO TownGown World Article By John M. Fleming Manager of Implementation Planning, City of London, Ontario May, 2008 CAN
The City of London has been a leader in addressing many Town and Gown issues in Ontario and Canada. London is blessed with the University of Western Ontario and a number of affiliated colleges as well as Fanshawe College collectively these institutions account for a student body of approximately 45,000 within a municipality with a total population of 350,000. In response to student housing issues which have been clearly resident in London for decades, the City has, in the past, established Floor Area Ratio regulations that are implemented on a sliding scale based on lot size, gross floor area caps and innovative by-law enforcement techniques. London was the first municipality to successfully incorporate maximum bedroom regulations for residential units. The City, University and Colleges have also developed an innovative Housing Mediation Service which still stands as a cutting edge model in Ontario for effective communication and facilitation of Town and Gown issues.
Meanwhile, student housing issues persist. Following Londons hosting of the 2007 Town and Gown Symposium, the City has developed a new comprehensive draft strategy for addressing Town and Gown issues. The draft strategy, entitled Closing the Gap: New Partnerships for Great Neighbourhoods Surrounding Our University and Colleges, contains 10 strategic initiatives that are intended to help near-campus neighbourhoods move towards a collective vision that has been articulated through the consultation process.
John Fleming, Manager of Implementation Planning for the City of London Planning Division, who led the process and wrote the document, describes the approach that London has taken in formulating this most recent strategy and how it differs from the approach taken previously. He outlines the 10 strategic directions and provides insight on their underlying intent. GO TO ARTICLE
CONTRAVERSATION: By Maria Aggestam and James Keenan. Business and Society, Vol. 46 (4) pp429-456. May, 2008 Sweden Contraversations are based on controversial and antagonistic discourse that refers to differences among group of society and business. We defined contraversation as dialectical and dialogical conversation particularly and publicly directed against one faction, which create antagonisms and thwart collaboration. Contraversation focuses on inter- group or interfactional conflict that obstructs collaboration by fostering conflict, confrontation and intense feelings of participants through the agency of language. In facing problematic concerns collective identities are publicly visible through language which translate them into disintegrating rather than integrating inter-societal performance.(go to glossary)
Best Practice Community
The Nottingham Action Group on HMO'S (UK) Nottingham UK (Major HEI'S : University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University. Combined enrolment approx. 50,000) April 2008
The Nottingham Action Group (NAG) formally came into being Feb 2004. Our diverse membership consists of established residents living in neighbourhoods in eight City and adjacent District Council Wards. We represent residents interests on the City Councils Student Strategy Leadership Group and its Student Co-ordination and Delivery Group. Nationally, we work closely with our local Members of Parliament and, of course, with the National HMO Lobby in order to try and effect changes to housing, planning and fiscal legislation which will lead to neighbourhoods that are balanced, cohesive and above all sustainable.
We have taken part in radio and TV programmes, lobbied relevant Ministers, attended the Parliamentary launch of the UUK publication on Students and the Community, contributed to the research work by Dr. Darren Smith, and have presented talks and posters at a number of national conferences and meetings. (Go to best practice)
Read the Ctm a weekly digest of news from college towns across the United States, and beyond.
Featured News
University signs on to a pact to reduce its impact Feb, 2008 USA
It could be the end of years of bitterness between New York University and its Village neighbors. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and New York University President John Sexton on Jan. 30 signed what they characterized as historic town-gown principles that set guidelines for the future expansion of N.Y.U. for the next 25 years and take into account neighborhood concerns about the scale of development.The planning principles are the result of more than a year of meetings between N.Y.U., local elected officials and community associations in Stringers Community Task Force on N.Y.U. development.
Everyone came to the table with an agenda but also with an open mind, said Stringer. That allowed us to hammer out a set of principles that will serve the universitys need to expand to meet its academic needs and local residents desire for real input into development that directly affects their lives and their neighborhood, he said at the Jan. 30 ceremony in the N.Y.U. School of Law across the street from the southeast corner of Washington Square Park.I believe that today we are turning a corner toward a new and harmonious relationship between N.Y.U. and its neighborhood, said Sexton. This is a step to correct some of the errors of the past on both sides. Trust has begun to develop.
Plans for 20 new university towns Campuses are to be set up over the next six years at a cost of £150m, with many located in areas suffering high levels of unemployment Mar 2008, UK
Up to 20 new university towns will be created across Britain under plans for a huge expansion of further education. Towns will be invited to enter a 'university challenge', bidding for the right to have a new campus or college in their area, Universities Secretary John Denham will announce tomorrow. The new campuses could be linked to existing universities or could be entirely new bodies. The move is as much about regenerating towns with high areas of unemployment as it is about giving more adults the chance of gaining a degree. Denham said last night: 'I want to give communities the chance to show they can make the most of the power of higher education, help unlock the talent of their local people and help make them better off.'
A document being published tomorrow spells out how the government aims to support at least 20 sites, 13 more than originally planned, which will open or have their funding agreed in the next six years, at a total cost of £150m.
TownGown World Discussion Topics
HMO OCCUPANCY LIMITS APRIL 2008 The increasing student populations in towns hosting higher educational institutions have put pressure on municipalities to look at occupancy limits for family dwellings. This discussion looks at this issue from a variety of viewpoints. ( Go to discussion on " Occupancy Limits")
Purpose Built Development The Second Wave ? Dec 2007 Discussion University towns are increasingly looking at purpose built developments (PBD's) as the answer to many of the negative impacts that unbalanced communities bring to a near campus neighbourhood. (Go to Discussion on Purpose built Development)
Collaborative Community Planning Does it Exist? Nov 2007 Discussion Governments around the world are increasingly focused on education as an economic driver. Academic institutions are being encouraged by their governments to accept an ever great volume of students, and enrolments are booming. Very few educational institutions or the governments that fund them extend this type of planning to include the surrounding residential community, or the host municipality in which they reside. (GO TO ARTICLE)
Achieving Community Balance: Seeking the Tipping Point Nov 2007
Many near campus neighbourhoods struggle to maintain a community balance that welcomes students into the community while maintaining the 'critical mass" of permanent residents. A number of methods have been proposed in various countries to give some guidelines for communities. This discussion explores efforts to quantify a tipping point, and offers a planning starting point for communities .
The 55% Initiative An Effort to Encourage More NH College Grads to Work, Play and Stay in NH TownGown World Article By: Matt Cookson, Associate Vice Chancellor University System of New Hampshire Mar 2008, USA
The 55% Initiative sets a goal of convincing 55% of new graduates to work, play, and stay here.
The University System of New Hampshire has been partnering with business, professional and community leaders, policy makers, and higher education to develop this new initiative. Log on to to learn more about the 55% Initiative, join a blog discussion. Or follow the links to learn how to send in your company or organizations logo to show your support.(Go to Article)
UNC and Chapel Hill: Partners for life TownGown World Article By Linda Convissor University of North Carolina Feb, 2008 USA
Many people call Chapel Hill the quintessential college town. In 2004, the University recognized its commitment to downtown in a formal way, becoming a founding partner of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership. The Partnership is made up of the Town of Chapel Hill, the University and the business and property owners. All three groups fund the Partnership and appoint members to sit on the board. (Go To Article)
Yale University Contributing to a Strong New Haven TownGown World Article By Shana Noelle Schneider Yale University, Jan, 2008, USA (Go to Article)
Measuring the Effectiveness of Neighbourhood Relations Efforts TownGown World Article By : Mary Somers, Dec 2007 Dalhousie University, CAN .(Go to Article)
Contact Us
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Universities Are Essential to Recovery A TownGown World Article by C. D. Mote, Jr.- President, University of Maryland June, 2009 USA
In the midst of major recession, the vital impact of research universities on state and regional economies gains added importance. Universities accomplish three tasks essential to recovery: Prepare students to compete for quality jobs; deliver economic development far beyond campus; position states to compete for the jobs, businesses, and partnerships recovery will bring. Higher education delivers critical knowledge and skills needed to secure the best jobs. It prepares people for jobs that don't yet exist, in industries that have yet to be founded.
Universities have long produced impressive direct economic development for their states, helping small businesses get off the ground, moving discoveries to market, serving as powerful magnets for public and private investments and creating research-related jobs. For example, in the case of the University of Maryland: The Sage Policy Group concludes that each dollar in state funding to the University ($420 million) generates eight-dollars in economic impact ($3.4 billion). Over the past decade, the University assisted 110,000 start-ups secure low-cost loans - more than $300 million-worth at a cost of $9 million - a thirty-five fold gain.
Over the past 25 years, the University has helped bring to market nearly $20 million-worth of products and services and created 8,500 jobs at a cost of $89 million in State support - an impact ratio greater than 200-to-1. Each dollar in faculty salaries, translates into $3 in research grants, supporting more than 14,000 jobs, in areas like alternative energy, climate change and food safety - national challenges longing for solutions. Few institutions educate to such high standards, drive the economy by creating jobs and enterprises and prepare society to tackle its future. At this time of economic upheaval, universities are essential to recovery.
C.D. Mote, Jr. is president of the University of Maryland, the state's flagship institution, and a national authority on U.S. competitiveness. For more information, you can contact : Millree Williams Executive Director, Public Affairs Strategy Office of University Communications 2101 Turner Building University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 301.405.4621
CCBC Conference - The Agenda for Change TownGown World Article By Mike Cole, Student Strategy Manager , Nottingham, UK May, 2008 UK The second national conference for the Councillors' Campaign for Balanced Communities was held in Nottingham on 13th March 2008. The conference was hosted by Nottingham City Council with the support of Unipol Student Homes. The conference's morning agenda provided a forum for a variety of viewpoints on the continuing challenges of studentification. It was an interesting morning with sessions given by a councillor, the National HMO Lobby, a university, and Robert Blackman-Woods MP, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Balanced Communities. The afternoon's agenda allowed service-providers and stakeholders to share examples of good practice from Newcastle and Leeds to offer some advice in terms of dealing with the impacts of students on local residential neighbourhoods.
Tackling Studentification The "10 Point Plan " By: Richard Tyler Mar 2008, UK
Tackling studentification as a form of polarisation needs a range of measures, concerned with managing, housing and planning. Together they make a Ten Point Plan. ( Go to Article)
National Award for Smart Growth Achievement: Colleges and Universities/College Towns category. Feb, 2008 USA
This year's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement includes a category for colleges and universities, medical/resarch institutions and partnerships with college/university towns.
Colleges, universities, and medical research institutions across the country are growing, and many of them seek to accommodate this growth in and around their existing campuses or districts. This situation creates unique challenges and significant opportunities for both the institution and the surrounding community. (Go to article)
University Town: A new era of living and learning TownGown World Article By : Dr. Lily Kong National University of Singapore Feb 2008, Singapore
The groundbreaking ceremony for University Town on 31 January 2008 marked a milestone for the National University of Singapore (NUS) as well as for higher education, research and enterprise in Singapore. University Town is a major step for NUS in its quest to offer a wide range of educational opportunities designed to prepare students to compete globally. It will also help realize NUS ambition to build bustling intellectual hubs for world-class research, and seedbeds for entrepreneurial activity.
The main feature of University Town is an integrated learning and living environment embodied in six residential colleges. Together with two graduate residences, University Town will pioneer the concept of learning and living within colleges in Singapore when ready by 2010. Up to 6,000 students from a diverse mix of different nationalities and cultures will live, learn and play together. (Go to Article)
Time to break the town-and-gown barrier RICHARD FLORIDA Globe and Mail Toronto, Canada Feb 8, 2008
(Excerpt)"Rather than as an "engine" of development, then, think of the university as an ecosystem or infrastructure for a knowledge-driven, creative economy. The key to the future lies in building stronger bridges between universities and their surrounding communities. The old town-gown boundaries must dissolve until it becomes impossible to see where the university ends and the community begins."
DVD SUN: Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods University-Community Partnerships At Work University of Louisville,USA
Boston, MA Building to Community Scale TownGown World Article By Susan Ashbrook, Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, USA Feb, 2008
The Berklee College of Music Community Task Force, representing local residents, business and cultural organizations, was formed in September 2006 to participate in the development of the colleges Institutional Master Plan, as required by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). Berklee, an undergraduate college with approximately 4,000 students dedicated to the study of contemporary music, has grown piece-meal since its foundation in 1945. Most of its classrooms, administration and housing are scattered around a variety of spaces, leased and owned, amidst densely populated neighborhoods. (Go to Article)
Towards a Vision of a Vibrant Urban Campus Integrated with the Surrounding Neighborhood TownGown World Article By:Harry Mattison Jan 2008, USA
Harvard University, the worlds wealthiest university with a $35 billion endowment, owns more than 300 acres in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. In January 2007, Harvard announced plans for 4 to 5 million square feet of new construction in the next 20 years and another 4 to 5 million square feet in the 30 years after that. For comparison, the combined size of these projects is more than 3 times the size of the Empire State Building! (Go to Article)
