Schools for Successful Communities: An Element of Smart Growth

This report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) explains why and how communities can employ smart growth planning principles to build schools that better serve and support students, staff, parents, and the entire community. It presents examples of supportive state and local policies, along with case studies from across the country that demonstrate how community-centered schools and the planning processes involved in designing and building these schools have improved education and fostered more livable environments. Although challenging, the boom in school construction offers an unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of schools and communities together by applying the principles of smart growth to educational facility planning. Smart growth development conserves resources and land; offers choices in housing, transportation, shopping, recreation, and jobs; encourages community collaboration; and fosters distinctive, attractive neighborhoods. EPA and CEFPI recognized a need for such an integrated planning process in the urban planning and environmental fields and among educators and school board members.