The Campus and the City 

The UWM Campus is sited between the western shore of Lake Michigan (hence the label of the Third Coast) and the Milwaukee River and their accompanying extensive park lands. Surrounded by an established professional residential community, UWM is convenient to Milwaukee's downtown. 

Urban in scale and density, the UWM campus covers approximately 24 city blocks. Built around two turn-of-the-century private schools (now both on the Historic Register), it is spatially organized around sectors for the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, engineering and physical sciences, and professions. 

Milwaukee is a large urban center, ranking 17th nationally in terms of population (1,500,000). Historically known for its progressive government and an unusually high level of cultural and recreational activities, Milwaukee has had several nationally recognized downtown development projects including the Grand Avenue Mall, the Schlitz Office Park, the Bradley Center (a sports entertainment complex), and the Pabst Theatre District. Like most of the nation's metropolitan areas, Milwaukee has suffered from central city decline and de-industrialization, which have created significant planning challenges and opportunities. The active development efforts of neighborhood organizations, along with several large-scale projects, are helping to meet these challenges and revitalize the inner city. 

The city has a rich tradition of decentralized and linear parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (a 76-mile bike path winds around the city through these parks), excellent social services, respectable public schools, a number of experimental theaters, dance and visual arts groups, major league sports, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and many art galleries. The Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Eero Saarinen is one example of the city's important buildings designed by leading contemporary architects. Milwaukee's rich and varied ethnic and cultural heritages are reflected in its well established ethnic communities and an historical diversity of architectural styles in its public and private buildings. 

The lake, extensive park lands, established residential communities, and historical and ethnic composition of the city provide the social and spatial backbone for the modern architecture, revitalization, and adaptive reuse that is keeping the city alive, vibrant, and eminently livable.