September 19, 2017 by CallisonRTKL

Malasadas and the University of Tomorrow

How do culture, transit and the environment interact? What’s the role of higher education in that relationship?

There are many things to look forward to when one visits Hawaii, but probably close to the top for me is eating Malasadas. The term “Malasada” in Portuguese means “undercooked,” and they are like donuts but better. They are an essential confection of island life. Filled with custard—guava, haupia and chocolate are favorites—they are a staple breakfast food or snack for many Hawaiians. Not the healthiest choice, but a must eat if you are on island.

To me, the Malasada is a prime example of how Hawaii’s culture often expresses itself. A trading culture like Hawaii has had a long tradition of exchanging new ideas—goods, music, art, food, etc.—and modifying them into something more locally appropriate. For example, the Portuguese brought Malasadas with them—along with Catholicism, sausage and the Ukulele—when they began working on the sugar plantations in Hawaii in the 19th century. Malasadas were adopted and modified by Hawaiians with local ingredients and tastes; globalist trade blended with local adaptation.

THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND

Premodern history of the area describes an island culture defined by Ahupua’a, a Hawaiian term that delineates cultural, geographic and economic regions of the island. Regions were defined by where people traded and fished, as well as by views and other landmarks. An example of this is Moana Kapu—the tallest peak and defining vista of the area. The profile of the mountain is described as a “fertility goddess in repose.”

Island culture is a humanistic one, often tying natural forces to characteristics of the human body. Sugar plantations were the primary employer in the 19th century, after artesian wells helped uncover a vast pure water reserve that transformed the barren lands into a flourishing sugar plantation.

Kapolei, a master-planned community, was first envisioned in the Estate of James Campbell’s long-range “Ewa Master Plan” for its holdings on the Ewa plain. The plan described a balanced range of urban land use including agricultural, commercial, industrial and residential.

This sense of history and mythology is important when considering a path forward that provides a shared sense of destiny to all island cultures. These influences commonly center on the rhythms of nature like the paths of the sun and moon and the seasons.

FORCES OF GROWTH

Today, the City of Honolulu is growing fast, and younger families look for affordability and access to education. The western portion of the city, clustered around East Kapolei, is the second fastest growing area in the city. It includes a major mall and a new University of Hawaii, West Oahu Campus. Its previous growth pattern, unfortunately, resembled typical southern Californian suburbs, with its pods of single detached neighborhoods, car-bound mobility and suburban culture.

But now, investments in transit and education are significant priorities for the state and are important forward-looking initiatives for the campus. Two of the stations are at key entry points of the campus. CallisonRTKL was recently retained by the University of Hawaii to look at ways for their campus to accommodate growth in a flexible way that preserves the integrity of the island.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII IN WEST OAHU

University of Hawaii West Oahu opened in East Kapolei in 2012 with 2,000 students. Growth projections are ambitious, predicting over 20,000 students coming to UH West Oahu in the next 20 years. The university plans to focus its growth around programs either that can support the main campus, or in niches that are underrepresented at UH Manoa, such as 3-D visualization, health sciences, sustainability and the environment.

“We see this campus as an exercise in how to live with the land, where students understand sustainability as much from cultural heritage as from tech innovation,” said Dr. Maenette K. P. Ah Nee-Benham, Chancellor of UHWO Campus.

UNDERSTANDING THE LAND AND ITS CULTURE

The planning team was introduced to the rich history of the island on day one of a four-day workshop with key university leaders. Key features of the tour included visits to important mountain tops and vistas, a discussion of the use of the land and agricultural traditions in the area, a visit to forest reserves, a discussion about the opportunities to link the site via natural drainageways that connect through the site and how the tribal leaders could navigate by understanding the night sky and ocean currents. The team was welcomed under a traditional Hale “house” structure, where community meetings occur. Here, traditional farming techniques and classes on the traditions of the Hawaiian peoples are a vital part of the curriculum of the university.

DEVELOPING A VISION

After the site visit, the working group—a mix of university leadership, the Chancellors office, the university planner, physical plant representatives and CallisonRTKL—developed a vision statement and established priorities for the plan itself.

Topics of debate included:

How can the university manifest of the values of the community as a whole?
How densely should we build out the campus?
To what degree should we embrace transit in early phases of development?
How do we prioritize investment in a campus that needs a bit of everything?

WORDS TO CONCEPTS

Later, the group was divided into smaller groups for a friendly competition where each group developed a plan concept and a tagline for their concept. Each team presented to the working group for a vote.

From this exercise, we began to formulate the key elements of the plan, including:

Seizing the northern corner of the property as a gateway into campus, thereby linking it to major roadways along the perimeter of the site and to views of the mountains beyond
Integrating the campus as an extension of East Kapolei’s university transit station, allowing mixed use growth and non-auto-oriented mobility options
Using the drainageways as a natural feature and including a trail amenity within the campus plan
Clustering development to take advantage of centers of excellence both within the university and in collaboration with private development interests
Making sustainability a key organizing idea of the plan as well as integrating working landscapes and amenities to make the university a key community anchor

PLAN OPTIONS

It is only through this collaboration and education that the consulting team can truly begin to understand the needs and desires of the community, allowing them to co-author a plan that will benefit the island for years to come. Like the malasada, the most powerful planning ideas are ones that are adaptable to—and inspired by—local customs.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.