Planning and Real Estate Development

The Planning & Real Estate Development Department supports the University of Rhode Island’s long‑term vision by shaping a campus environment that advances teaching, learning, research, collaboration, and sustainability.

Led by the Director of Planning & Real Estate Development, the department brings together campus planning, real estate portfolio management, spatial services, and sustainability to guide the physical development and growth of the University.

Planning and Real Estate Development

Includes the Director of Planning & Real Estate Development, the Campus Planner, and the Specialist for Real Estate Transactions. This group leads campus and space planning efforts, including space allocation, manages real estate transactions, and advances strategic development opportunities.

Spatial Services

Led by the Assistant Director of Spatial Services, this team includes specialists in Space Database and Floor Plan Library management and GIS and Spatial Services. The group leverages the Esri ArcGIS platform to support enterprise GIS data and analysis for administrative departments across the University, enabling planning and operational decision‑making. This includes using ArcGIS Indoors to manage the University’s space inventory in accordance with the Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual (FICM).

Sustainability

Led by the Campus Sustainability Officer, this unit functions as the connective tissue between URI’s sustainability strategy and the cross-campus action needed to achieve it. By engaging senior leaders, faculty, staff, students, external partners, and the broader community, the Campus Sustainability Officer advances URI’s pursuit of carbon neutrality and natural resource conservation — bridging operations and academics and using the campus itself as a testbed for innovation of applied sustainability practices. This work is grounded in a living lab philosophy turning the university itself into a site of creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and measurable environmental impacts.