UG and Municipality of Groningen collaborate on ‘City Centre Campus’

On 24 March 2025, UG board member Hans Biemans and aldermen Rik van Niejenhuis and Carine Bloemhoff signed a cooperation agreement for the plans for the City Centre Campus. The goal is to better integrate the University with public spaces and make it a more prominent part of the city center. The buildings will also become more sustainable, compact, and vibrant, with attention given to greenery, climate adaptation, biodiversity, sustainable mobility, and the energy transition.

City Centre Campus

The City Centre Campus in Groningen extends from the Harmonie Complex to the area around Broerstraat. Alderman for Education, Carine Bloemhoff, stated: 'When you think of Groningen, you think of education. That’s why the University of Groningen has been located in our city center for centuries. This is of great value to students and staff. Its central location ensures strong connections with society and businesses. Students and staff benefit from everything the city has to offer, while the city, in turn, can take advantage of the University’s facilities.'

Strategic Master Plan

To realize the future City Centre Campus, a Strategic Master plan is required. This plan will outline agreements on how spaces will be used and designed. 'Together with the University, we want to create a future-proof and livable City Centre Campus,' said Rik van Niejenhuis, alderman for Spatial Planning of the Municipality of Groningen. 'More greenery makes streets and squares more attractive, cooler, and healthier. Lively ground floors create a vibrant atmosphere where people enjoy coming together. Additionally, we are working on smart solutions for sustainable mobility and improved accessibility, ensuring that everyone can move around comfortably and safely.' The Strategic Master Plan will serve as the foundation for all further plans and decisions regarding public spaces. The surrounding community, including stakeholders and local residents, will be involved and informed throughout the process. The exact form of this involvement is still being developed. The first version of the plan is expected to be completed by mid-2026.

Connection with the city

'Our University has grown over more than 400 years into an academic stronghold spread across the city of Groningen,' said UG board member Hans Biemans. 'Our beautiful, historic buildings in the city centre exude history but require modernization in terms of quality, flexibility, and sustainability. In collaboration with the municipality, we aim to create a more connected and recognizable City Centre Campus, where we can more easily open our facilities for events and exhibitions that appeal to students, staff, and city residents alike. This will strengthen the bond between the University and the city and contribute to a lively and enriched campus life for everyone.'

Other campuses

In addition to this collaboration in the city centre, the UG and the Municipality of Groningen are also working together on the development of the Zernike Campus Groningen and the Healthy Ageing Campus (the area around the UMCG). These initiatives aim to enhance vibrancy, sustainable accessibility, and the investment climate within these campuses.

Timeline

Over the next 1.5 years, work will focus on developing the concept for the Strategic Master plan. This will then be refined into a final plan, which is expected to be completed by early 2027. The Strategic Master plan will also determine the timeline for work on buildings and public spaces.

Read more about the plans here.