Details of a new comprehensive master plan by Cooper Robertson for the University of Maryland’s flagship campus in College Park were revealed Tuesday by the firm following its initial announcement in March of last year.

By prioritizing strategies for “holistic growth,” the university says it will be able to meet its slate of strategic development goals that include increasing institutional resilience, achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2025, improving transit options and pedestrian access on campus, making facilities improvements, enhancing connectivity between the campus and D.C. metro region, and preparing for a more diverse future.

“This plan builds on the University of Maryland’s role as an ambitious, forward-looking, and value-driven academic institution,” Cooper Robertson partner and UMD alum Mike Aziz said. “By embracing its legacy of distinction in a modern and strategic program, the university is setting a highly sustainable and lasting directive for the ultimate success of today’s and tomorrow’s students.”

Conversely, the near-term projects covered by the master plan include:

• Strategic retrofits of more than a dozen existing campus buildings to improve space usage and overall building performance, while also constructing new academic and research facilities to meet long-term programmatic goals.
• Showcasing cutting-edge research and other high-impact academic environments through the clustering of new flagship buildings, building renovations, and dynamic open spaces along a campus-wide “Innovation Walk.”
• Creating a five-mile walking/biking Wellness Loop through urban, wooded, and grassy environments that circumnavigates campus and connects students with major destinations, on and off-campus.
• Implementing “complete street” improvements to redesign roadways that mutually accommodate cars, bikes, scooters, and walkers, while also proposing walk/bike/scooter corridors that connect to key campus points and prioritize pedestrian safety and accessibility.

For the plan, Cooper Robertson will leverage past experience working on the nearby campuses of George Washington and Georgetown University. Other higher-ed efforts include plans for the University of Delaware, Ohio State, the University of North Carolina, and other primarily East Coast institutions.

The firm says it is the product of an 18-month community engagement process that included some 6,000 points of input from over 1,000 students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.

“Our Campus Facilities Plan is more than just a blueprint for development; it's a commitment to our university's holistic growth. This vision, fueled by input from our diverse community, signifies our dedication to creating environments where every student can thrive, learn and lead,” Darryll J. Pines, the school's President, had said previously.

Another $785 million campus improvement plan from Perkins&Will is continuing at nearby Howard University for the year 2026.