THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN CITY TRANSFORMATION

This research investigates the reciprocal spatial impact of universities and their host cities. The study carries out a cross-case analysis between the University of Lincoln and city of Lincoln and with the University of Worcester and the city of Worcester. Both cities are located in United Kingdom (UK), have similar historical backgrounds, and are similar in terms of size and population demographic. Additionally, both universities are relatively new universities. This study attempts to uncover and clarify how the University of Worcester and the University of Lincoln have transformed their socio-economic and spatial environments in their respective cities. One of the most significant features of this transformation is related to spatial integration and connectivity between the campus and city. This is a complex relationship, that is dependent on many physical and non-physical variables. This paper presents the results of that highlight the spatial configuration of the city/ campus relationship. Space Syntax techniques and observation data are adapted in order to show how campus layouts influence the spatial configuration of the city. The main finding in this research shows that the location of a university campus has a significant impact on the city in physical, social and economic forms