On the same day that Harvard has announced it will be asking alums and others to dig deep to help them raise $6.5 billion in a new capital campaign, the New York Times reports that in Singapore, universities may really be about to dig deep.  In a country where the joke is the national bird is the crane, finding ways to build on the very limited land is always a challenge.  By exploring the possibility of going underground to build classrooms, gymnasiums, libraries and meeting space, the National and Nanyang Technological universities may make the most of their campuses where expanding out is not feasible.

Ultimately, what will matter more than spectacular feats of engineering to go underground on this island, is how and whether the campuses are able to develop a dialogue with the urban culture where they are located.  If Singapore is to follow the path of other global urban educational hubs where development is driven at least in large part by great universities and the links with the surrounding communities (think the two Cambridges, Berkeley, etc.) it will need to find ways for them to communicate well.

As university planners consider the merits of expanding in a subterranean direction, they should also consider how those areas can be designed to enhance the vibrancy of connections with the local urban space.