School Planning: A New Paradigm

"Federal school construction guidelines, which local school boards often use in their decision-making process, favor building new facilities instead of revitalizing older ones. The recommendations for a high school, for example, — 30 acres of land plus one acre for every 100 students — result in huge institutional-sized complexes surrounded by acres of parking lots and athletic facilities. These locations distance students from their neighborhoods and virtually eliminate the centuries-old pastime of walking to school, or from school to the public library and local stores. School boards often make the decision to move facilities into outlying areas because they feel it is the best choice for students. The intention is good, but the effect is a dramatic loosening of the glue that bonds communities together."