Landscape Master Plan

Volume 1 (the Executive Summary) is presented in this section.

Final versions of Volume 2 and 3 are presented in portable document format (PDF). These are very large, graphic-intensive files. Members of the Smith Community may request a copy by sending a request to ceeds@smith.edu. 

April 2020

Dear Smith College Community:

We are now more than halfway done with the Landscape Master Plan (LMP) process, and the LMP Committee is taking a moment to update you on what we have heard so far, and to thank you for taking the time to participate and provide feedback. We are grateful for all of the time and good work you have provided to this process, particularly in light of our current response to COVID-19 in which we will have limited access to the community.

LMP engagement started more than a year and a half ago when the Botanic Garden of Smith College and CEEDS sponsored student independent studies to help us understand the ways in which the former LMP needed to be updated to include educational, historical, environmental and inclusive themes and concepts. It continued with campus visioning and feedback through the fall and winter. Much of this work and community input has been captured in these documents.

Throughout this process, the LMP Committee has been guiding a conversation with the community in order to gauge interest and support for a more educational, inclusive, and climate resilient campus. In summary, we have heard the following:

• You love the Smith College campus, and there are a lot of ideas for how it might evolve and yet remain true to its history  and our experiences here.
• There is a desire for a campus landscape that is more clearly designed to be used, not just admired; these uses would include  learning, community building, and relaxing with the grass between your toes. 
• There is a desire for a landscape  that improves and cares for ecosystem and human health and well-being; this desire manifests in its design and management. 
• You would like the campus to recognize more clearly the layers of culture and history present in our location, including indigenious, colonial, industrial and educational histories.
• You would like the campus to be safe and feel safe, during the day and at night, if you’re walking, crossing a street or riding a bike. 
• You understand the need for balance and compromise in addressing the needs and desires of many different members of our campus community. The community engagement process has also made clear that you understand that every decision, even the decision to stay the same, has benefits and costs.

We invite you to continue to look through the project documents above. Please reach out to any one of us if you have additional thoughts. The LMP Committee will continue to work this spring semester, and plans to have a draft LMP to share with you in the early summer.

Thank you again for your contributions and interest,
Landscape Master Plan Committee