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Are Oakland's Schools Prepared For Downtown Housing Boom?

Posted by: Christian Madera

17 July 2006 - 10:00am

With tens of thousands of housing units springing up downtown and nearby classrooms already at capacity, the local school district is figuring out how to meet the coming demand.

With the push for new downtown housing under Mayor Brown, critics have pointed out the lack of planning regarding for the demand for schools, highlighted by a recent proposal to sell school property for a new residential development.

While district enrollment is dropping overall, experts disagree on the number of new students that will be generated by the new downtown housing.

"Several urban planning experts point out that if a city adds dense new housing near the core but fails to create family-friendly infrastructure such as schools and parks nearby, it may create a monocultural downtown that only appeals to childless households."

Full Story: Downtown growth may leave schools hurting for space
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, July 10, 2006
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All of that only scratches the surface of what's wrong with this study. The idea that complex urban development patterns and human behavior can be meaningfully studied according to one primary criteria — density — is wrong from the start.
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