EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study identifies and attempts to address three common shortcomings of today’s
campus sustainability initiatives: difficulties in measuring social and economic factors; a
lack of consideration for integrative issues such as land use; and a generally reactive
approach to proposed development. To engage these concerns, we develop a model for
predicting the relative sustainability of different campus land use configurations. The
model uses computer-based mapping software (a geographic information system or
GIS) to measure a set of six sustainability indicators for each land use scenario. The
indicators chosen represent all three competing interests of sustainable development:
economic prosperity (one indicator), social equity (two indicators), and environmental
integrity (four indicators).