University of Wisconsin-Madison
Student Housing Assessment
In April 2004, seeking to move forward with a housing master plan, the University of Wisconsin-Madison engaged Brailsford & Dunlavey to evaluate housing data and provide a written response to the question "How large does University housing have to become to guarantee on-campus housing to all first-year students at UW-Madison?" The University maintained a strong residential program and was dedicated to offering quality housing facilities with an appropriate mix of student residents in support of its continuous efforts to be a strong competitor among other Big Ten institutions.
B&D analyzed the off-campus housing market as well as the University's current on-campus housing operation, comparing and contrasting it to Big Ten housing and national university housing trends. B&D also analyzed three scenarios -- with conservative, moderate, and aggressive capture rate options within each scenario -- to determine University housing demand numbers.
B&D determined that, assuming the number of returning residents did not deviate too far from the norm, the University's new residence halls would provide capacity to support the moderate scenario of a 90% capture rate of first-year students. In addition, B&D recommended that the University maintain at least 7,400 bed spaces in undergraduate housing in order to guarantee on-campus housing to all first-year students at UW-Madison and to continue maintaining a level of service to upper-class students.
Based on B&D's assessment, the University developed a Residence Halls and Food Service Master Plan, which includes numerous housing and dining construction and renovation projects through 2020.