The Broadway Residence Hall, designed in consultation with community groups, is a new building that is a contextual fit on historic Broadway.

Over the past several years, Columbia has attempted to change the way it informs and interacts with the local community on a range of issues, including construction and renovation and historic preservation.

Construction Projects: In 1999, the University completed a $677 million, 5-year capital construction program, that built six new buildings on and off campus and renovated many more. The next five-year capital construction program estimated at $848 million has been launched. While construction is a source for jobs and spending in the community, ongoing construction can be of concern to neighborhood residents from the point of view of noise and inconvenience. The University has increased its efforts in recent years to notify the community about construction projects in order to reduce disruption. Community involvement also helps to ensure that new buildings fit into the Morningside Heights context.

Two of the major buildings of the current construction boom were significantly impacted by discussions with the community: Alfred Lerner Hall and the new Broadway Residence Hall at 113th Street and Broadway. In response to residents' concerns, the western facade of Lerner was designed to look like the other brick buildings along the campus's western edge; and the height of the new residence hall was significantly reduced, among other design modifications. In planning for the new residence hall, Columbia collaborated with the community and the New York Public Library to incorporate a new, larger branch library into the project. The library is expected to change its name from the Columbia Branch to the Morningside Heights Branch. The University also meets regularly with community board members to discuss construction off campus.

The Planning Framework: To address community concerns about the preservation of historic buildings on Morningside Heights, and to better our knowledge of some of the University's buildings, a team of planning and preservation consultants was hired to create a planning framework. This document, published in 1999, identified future potential development sites and set up guidelines for building and campus maintenance. A community advisory group reviewed all the work of the consultant. Much of this work will be used by community residents as they pursue historic district designation for parts of Morningside Heights.