A Study on Hillside University Campus Planning in Japan

Abstract

Data for 681 Japanese university campuses was collected: campus position (rural vs. urban, plain land vs. hilly land), university governance type, foundation year, area and elevation difference. The 238 hillside campuses among the total mostly belong to private universities, were founded after 1960s, and are located in "edge" position; 64% realized open spaces in hilly terrain avoiding massive excavations through a) respecting topographic contours, b) placing open spaces in valleys or ridges, or c) placing them on roof level of other facilities. Each one of the mentioned methods is suitable to a specific range of average grade of campus' site.