School Siting: Contested Visions of the Community School

This study traces the evolution of school siting standards to explain the factors currently influencing school facility location decisions and to identify what local and regional planners could contribute to these decisions. Across the United States, schools continue to be constructed even as the debate persists over where schools should be located and how much land they should occupy. It reviews the land use planning and educational facilities literature on school siting and includes in-depth interviews with school facility planners from ten counties in Maryland and northern Virginia. The author finds that different groups use vastly different definitions of community school. Smart growth proponents advocate for community schools that are small and closely linked to neighborhoods, while school facility planners expect these schools to meet the needs of entire localities. The study recommends that individual communities consider the trade-offs associated with different school sizes and make choices that align with local preferences for locations within walking distance of students, potential for sports fields, school design, and connections to neighborhoods. State school construction and siting policies should promote flexibility for localities. Additionally, local and regional planners should collaborate with school facility planners to conduct exercises and charettes that help each community realize its own vision of community schools.