ABSTRACT
Few would quarrel with the value of the university to society, and many would even join Talcott Parsons in his claim of the singular social importance of institutions of higher education. The university has long been one of Western civilization's key institutions. Along with local government, the firm, and the church, among others, universities contribute in multiple ways to modern urban society (Van der Wusten 1998). The university is a significant source of received knowledge or wisdom, the primary site for the debate over change in the intellectual order, and an incubator of revolutions in science and technology. Just as important, the university is considered a center of culture, aesthetic direction, and the moral forces shaping the "civilized" society. Universities also contribute in important ways to the economic health and physical landscape of cities, serving as all but permanent fixtures of the urban economy and built environment.
