Temple University’s Campus Development Plan, Building Connections, outlines how, over the next 20 years, the university will invest in its physical environment to advance academic excellence; strengthen research, innovation and creativity; enrich the student experience; and deepen our connection to Philadelphia.
Building Connections is a key part of Forward with Purpose: Temple University’s Strategic Plan, as it helps envision the physical environment that will support the plan.
Why This Plan Matters
Temple’s campuses shape experience, opportunity, and impact. As one of Philadelphia’s most important anchor institutions, Temple has a responsibility to steward its physical resources in ways that serve students, faculty, staff, neighbors, and the city as a whole.
This plan is about connections, with a specific focus on physical, programmatic, community and relationships. These connections help create the physical places and spaces required to advance Temple’s Strategic Plan.
Process and Development
Building Connections was developed through a multi-year, collaborative process involving students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners. It serves as a flexible framework—not a construction schedule—guiding decision-making as needs and opportunities evolve.
In developing the plan, input from Temple’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members was incorporated, and the final product illustrates a wide range of institutional goals while outlining a set of near- and long-term recommendations that will allow the university to accomplish these goals.
A Framework for Temple’s Future
Temple’s Campus Development Plan provides a long-term framework for shaping the university’s physical environment. The plan is intended to guide future decisions about campus investment, public spaces, academic and research facilities, student life, housing, sustainability and connections to the surrounding community.
Rather than serving as a fixed construction schedule, the plan establishes a flexible vision that can respond to evolving academic priorities, student needs, funding opportunities and institutional goals.
How to use this site
This site provides a public overview of Temple’s Campus Development Plan, including the vision, guiding priorities, current projects and long-term planning concepts. Additional planning and design resources are available for internal partners, architects, planners and consultants working with the university.
