Evidence-based retail and commercial planning for Australian university campuses

The nature of university campuses in Australia is changing. Retail and commercial activities are becoming increasingly important on campus, especially since the change from compulsory to voluntary student union fees. While decisions about retail and commercial activities in the private sector are carefully planned, retail and commercial growth on university campuses has been more reactive and opportunistic to date. As opposed to traditional retail areas, such as those in suburban and city centres, there is currently no evidence-based retail and commercial methodology to assist with the master planning of University campuses in Australia. This paper describes a proposed methodology to assist in this important and growing area of campus master planning.