The performance of various tools of change, their spatial implications and the long term value of the changes is a critical topic of debate, and the educational sector has a contribution to make with the potential of crossovers and synergies established between the educational institutions and the other urban elements they react with.
Employing educational facilities as drivers of urban change may be a useful response to the problem of introversion, isolation and decentralised development in cities. The peripheral drift observed in various cities is causing many of the main urban functions to shift towards the edges. Modern and new –tech environments choose to locate themselves away from the chaos of the city centre. But often these massive constructions end up losing more than they gain by shifting to the periphery. The associational value of the university and businesses has been proven to be advantageous to the city. This thesis proposes an integrated urban campus comprising of educational as well as corporate facilities.
The potential of university and industry collaboration is tested in the city of Pune, India. Pune faces the common problem of the massive investments in peripheral construction while the city centre remains stagnant in terms of growth. The educational prowess of the city is used to attract the businesses in the city, fortifying the value of the urban environment. Thus a two way development is carried out- the urbanisation of the university by integrating it with the city and the influx of foreign capital into the city which inturn leads to the regeneration of the city. The university evolves from its monofunctional status to achieve an integrated and well articulated place in the urban fabric, aiming for a rich mix between the educational and industrial functions, a pool of highly talented people, and financing bodies and investors.
