Founded in 1886 by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church as Bethel University, Shorter College is re-imaging education. The College will retool its commuter-oriented campus to support academic excellence in the use of new technologies, residential student life, and new forms of community engagement focused on the region’s African American community. Urban design articulates a new sequence of outdoor rooms organizing the campus block. Off-campus structured parking will replace surface parking lots (except for that under the Ballroom/Lecture Theater building), making space for an Arrival Court, a Pedestrian Mall, a Boardwalk, a Big Porch, and a Campus Lawn—all with ample seating for outdoor learning and socializing. Fast-paced traffic on Bishop Lindsey Avenue fronting the campus will be calmed by the installation of a new street plaza, retrofitting this road segment into an outdoor room with enhanced pedestrian facilities, lighting, furniture, and landscaping. This new streetscape constitutes a neighborhood node, anchoring satellite properties acquired by Shorter College to the main campus.
Awards
2026 The Plan Awards (Master Plan): Education/Future Shortlist
2026 The Plan Awards (Civic Quad): Education/Future Shortlist
2026 The Plan Awards: Public Space/Future Shortlist
2026 The Plan Awards: Mixed Use/Future Shortlist
2026 The Plan Awards: Office & Business/Future Shortlist
2026 The Plan Awards: Sport & Leisure/Future Shortlist
Client
Shorter College