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About

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and its public-facing units, including the UD Botanic Gardens, Cooperative Extension, and UDairy Creamery, serve as entry points to the university for community members, prospective students, and campus community members alike. The Townsend Hall Parking Lot is central to that entry point and currently stands as an uninspiring and underutilized space dividing integral components of the landscape and CANR’s facilities.

The UD Botanic Gardens and CANR are leading the charge to transform a portion of this parking lot into the Townsend East Lawn and Garden. Initial funding has been secured from a private foundation to begin this initiative and we aim to create an intentional connection between the existing areas of UDBG’s landscape while fostering a welcoming entry point that improves wayfinding, safety, and accessibility to our campus amenities and collections.

We envision a space that gives our campus an inviting and cohesive appearance while further activating student engagement, experiential learning, and community connections. Drawing on the expertise of faculty, extension professionals, and UDBG staff, the lawn and garden will expand educational efforts to a diverse stakeholder group with programming focused on ecologically minded landscape techniques and management. We also hope these enhancements will attract prospective students and enrich curricular resources available, particularly in majors such as landscape architecture and entomology. In addition, the garden will further facilitate community events and outreach through enhanced access.

Construction is expected to begin in January 2026. Stay tuned for more information on how to support this exciting project!

Timeline

Q&A

How will the Townsend East Lawn and Garden serve our communities and audiences?

Campus community

• Direct curricular support for CANR’s programs

• Opportunities for relaxation between classes, outdoor gathering/class space

• Education and interpretation around sustainable design practices

Public community

• Encourage visitation, visitors understand how to navigate the site and which areas are accessible

• Public education and events (trainings, tours, etc.) through UDBG and extension

• Extension opportunities for trainings with Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists

Industry

• Industry expos and reciprocal tours with area gardens/businesses

• Share living collection materials with production growers

• Industry use of extension resources (plant diagnostics, soil samples, general professional knowledge)

Alumni and prospective students

• Showcase resources available to students: great resources attract great students

• Continuing elevation of CANR’s resources reflects well on alumni in the workforce.

• Fosters a deeper sense of connection with alumni coming back to campus as they have greater awareness/remembrance of the resources available.

How will the Townsend East Lawn and Garden address current site challenges?

• The new area will give cues about how visitors should navigate the space, along with an explanation of the resources available.

• Areas where vehicular and pedestrian traffic intersect will be amended to improve safety and accessibility.