Towards the Placeful University: Transformative Places and Spaces in Higher Education

This book outlines ways for universities to become more placeful, fostering an atmosphere of diversity, inclusion, dissensus, and creativity within the university. It argues that only by becoming more placeful can universities establish genuine connections with surrounding environments, communities, and ecologies. The book addresses the spatial context within which contemporary universities find themselves. The chapters include various methodological approaches, including case studies, autoethnography, philosophical essays, participant observation, poetic narration, and in-depth interviews, reflecting the variety of spatial configurations in which contemporary universities find themselves, and conceptually linked to the normative dimension implied in the notion of a “placeful university". This book captures the breadth and depth of spatial perspectives on the contemporary university within an interdisciplinary context. It shows that spatial perspectives might be approached through various methodological instruments, promising interesting insights. Readers with different disciplinary backgrounds and those interested in different issues will gain a deeper understanding of the spatial background of respective perspectives and issues.

• Publication date: 1 September 2026
• Page count: 292
• Dimensions: Height 235 mm; Width 155 mm
• Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9789819210008