Drexel's urban setting offers an opportunity to work in partnership with surrounding neighborhoods to create a 21st-century district marked by livability, amenity, and accessibility. This urban campus district will offer members of all its communities the competitive advantages of a diverse, walkable environment with multiple choices for living, working, learning, and playing close to each other and convenient transit access to the region and beyond. From 30th to 36th Streets, from Chestnut to Powelton Avenue, streets and blocks should clearly express the district's unique character, the benefits of Drexel's presence, and the economic and qualify-of-life advantages of a vital university / neighborhood partnership.

Drexel's campus core emphasizes portals to academic growth, while its edges offer varied portals to the neighborhoods and beyond.

Preserve, intensify, and overlap college Precincts with collaborative Programs.

Each of the three academic precincts contains a cluster of colleges and departments with strong collaborative relationships.

Emphasize close relationships and short travel times between related programs to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Focus the greatest intensity of activity mix and building scale within a convenient walk of 30th Street Station on Market, Chestnut and 30th Streets and JFK Boulevard.

Convey a strong, consistent physical identity.

Lining streets and sidewalks with interesting activities within transparent building facades and complementing these with attractive, well-designed sidewalks will build a consistent feel for the campus and make walking more appealing.

Connect people to destinations through public transit.

Most of campus lies within a convenient 5-minute walk of one or more transit stations.

Encourage Private Development and Investment

Student residence, retail, and commercial development can help fund Drexel's academic mission.

Concentrate undergraduate teaching in the heart of campus, surrounded by professional programs and research.

Undergraduate academic units should be within an easy walk of the campus core and close to student housing.

Build a larger, more active University City neighborhood.

Introducing new housing and neighborhood-oriented retail choices on sites like the Hess Engineering Research Laboratories at 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue would enhance quality of life in Powelton Village and Mantua, while helping attract top faculty, staff, and students to Drexel.