A variety of standards exist to guide architects and engineers in the design of recreation facilities. Existing recreation facility standards do not, however, adequately meet the needs of college and university master planners. No existing standard answers the basic question of how much gross area should institutions set aside for recreational uses. Based on a study of recreation field space at 11 major, urban universities, this article proposes a standard of one acre per 1,000 students enrolled as the amount of area needed, relative to the size of the institution, to satisfy the recreational needs of a campus population.
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