Town–Gown Relations

Universities in the 21st century tend to be increasingly global institutions, drawing both students and academic staff from many different parts of the world. Yet every university—referred to as ‘gown’—is located somewhere, some ‘place’—referred to as ‘town’. Universities affect their places, and in turn, these places affect their universities. A university may have had a major and historic impact on the town where it is located. Or it may be a relatively new arrival, reflecting the expansion of university systems in modern knowledge societies. The new arrivals are more likely to be on the edge of their town, whilst the historic university often will be located in the town centre.

With the contemporary expansion of higher education systems, a town may be home to several universities. ...