How Schools Teach Sprawl

"Lawrence Frank, the Bombardier chair in sustainable urban transportation systems in the school of community and regional planning at the University of British Columbia, says urban planning is a sadly overlooked area of health policy, and the lack of attention to the issue has contributed to the poor health status of children."

"'It seems glaringly obvious, but if you want kids to walk, you have to give them places to walk to, like schools,' he says."

"Yet the vast majority of children in Canada do not walk to school. They are bused or driven in cars, in large part because of poor walking routes that fuel parents' fears of traffic."

"'We are training the next generation to be auto-dependent,' Dr. Frank says."

"That is because school boards, perpetually strapped for cash, look for cheap land. Dr. Frank says this is wrong. He believes schools should be located in high-density areas, where children can come by foot or on public transit, and where there is already a built-up environment -- something that becomes important as children reach junior high and high school."