Space is a serious, expensive business on college campuses. Following a decade-long building boom, a crippling recession, a spike in energy prices (with further increases probable), and in some regions fierce competition for a shrinking pool of students, the stakes of managing campus space have never been higher. Students, it is often assumed, decide whether or not to attend a college on the basis of the quality and quantity of space. And many researchers expect to have their own offices or laboratories, or both. But more buildings means higher utility bills and maintenance costs when colleges cannot afford them. Facilities are second only to personnel in campus expenditures. One gross square foot of construction can cost $300. Some experts say that on a five-million-square-foot campus, 1 percent of underutilized lab and office space equals about $3.7-million in wasted construction costs. Maintenance, utilities, and renewal costs can compose about 70 percent of the lifetime costs of a building. In tight times, administrators, lawmakers, and the public will increasingly ask: Are colleges using their spaces well? And how does one measure good utilization? Colleges may have to slow the pace of building and maximize their use of current space, requiring tough choices that many are already grappling with.