Campus considers design center in Springfield
As part of the Greater Springfield-University of Massachusetts Amherst Partnership established last year, campus officials intend to establish a “Downtown Design Center” in Springfield to assist the city with economic development projects, according to Chancellor Robert C. Holub.
In a letter to Mayor Domenic Sarno dated Oct. 27, Holub said the center could open by the beginning of spring semester if “all operational arrangements can be met.”
In a press release, Sarno said the proposed center “will provide a great resource” to the city and “help us to continue to advance our economic development efforts.”
According to the chancellor, the center will initially involve faculty and graduate students from Architecture and Design, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, and Natural Resources Conservation. Projects handled by the center would be determined jointly by participating faculty and city officials.
Over time, said Holub, the campus could use the space for instruction, studios and meeting space. “We also hope to place staff in the space with the intent of coordinating the effort over the long term,” he said. “The costs of the operation are expected to be jointly shared by our Center for Economic Development, the Graduate School, and the city.”
Holub noted that the campus is also involved with three other economic revitalization projects in the city. They include determining ways to encourage spinoff companies to locate in Springfield and developing programs to expand the number of the city’s high school students to attend UMass Amherst. The campus is also studying opportunities to place “back-office” functions in the city’s downtown, he said.
November 5, 2009.
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