A movement is afoot to make schools more than just places to store kids for eight hours a day. Planning Director Gail Goldberg and child advocate Yolie Flores Aguilar are helping lead the way in Los Angeles.
"If we do not plan for schools to be the joint-use centers of our neighborhoods now, we will be forced to address it later and to retrofit later. We do not have the luxury of single-use buildings that do not take advantage of all of their potential. It's not just about land; it's also about the roles these facilities play in enhancing the health of our communities."
"The challenge for all of us is to make certain that when new schools are being built they are being built with the understanding that even if we do not have the joint uses together right now, in the future they will become joint-use facilities simply out of necessity."
"I don't know anyone who doesn't have a vision of what it would look like if schools were pulsating places in the community. The most important conversation is how to coordinate across all stages of education, because it starts very early in life, but it continues through a child's educational experience."
Thanks to josh Stephens
FULL STORY: Planners and Child Advocates Agree: Smart Planning Should Promote Neighborhood-Centered Schools
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