Committee on the Environment

  • 1.  Schools as Place Makers

    Posted 08-22-2014 05:57 PM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee on the Environment and Regional and Urban Design Committee .
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    Friday, August 22, 2014

    Schools as Place Makers

    The nation spent over thirteen billion dollars on school construction in 2013. In my area,  Baltimore City and Baltimore County combined have earmarked over 2.1 billion dollars on their ten year school construction programs. It would probably be no exaggeration to say that those type investments would make a difference to the built environment. To understand how much school systems are players in our metros consider this: Baltimore County schools alone transport 75,000 kids every day in their own buses, a ridership that 
    Transportation instead of place
    represents 1/3 of the public transit passengers of the entire MTA, buses and rail combined. With almost 30,000 employees the two Baltimore school systems (City and County) are by far the largest employer in Maryland, combined they operate over 350 buildings, the entire downtown of a mid-size city. Shouldn't these mega organizations be considered not only  highly important for education but also economic development, urban renewal and urban space?

    Unfortunately, for all the public attention that public schools get, economic development, urban renewal and place-making aren't typically the topics of discussion. As a consequence, schools frequently undo places instead of making them, especially... Read all

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    Klaus Philipsen FAIA
    Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects
    Baltimore MD
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    Friday, August 22, 2014

    Schools as Place Makers

    The nation spent over thirteen billion dollars on school construction in 2013. In my area,  Baltimore City and Baltimore County combined have earmarked over 2.1 billion dollars on their ten year school construction programs. It would probably be no exaggeration to say that those type investments would make a difference to the built environment. To understand how much school systems are players in our metros consider this: Baltimore County schools alone transport 75,000 kids every day in their own buses, a ridership that 
    Transportation instead of place
    represents 1/3 of the public transit passengers of the entire MTA, buses and rail combined. With almost 30,000 employees the two Baltimore school systems (City and County) are by far the largest employer in Maryland, combined they operate over 350 buildings, the entire downtown of a mid-size city. Shouldn't these mega organizations be considered not only  highly important for education but also economic development, urban renewal and urban space?

    Unfortunately, for all the public attention that public schools get, economic development, urban renewal and place-making aren't typically the topics of discussion. As a consequence, schools frequently undo places instead of making them, especially when

    Friday, August 22, 2014

    Schools as Place Makers

    The nation spent over thirteen billion dollars on school construction in 2013. In my area,  Baltimore City and Baltimore County combined have earmarked over 2.1 billion dollars on their ten year school construction programs. It would probably be no exaggeration to say that those type investments would make a difference to the built environment. To understand how much school systems are players in our metros consider this: Baltimore County schools alone transport 75,000 kids every day in their own buses, a ridership that 
    Transportation instead of place
    represents 1/3 of the public transit passengers of the entire MTA, buses and rail combined. With almost 30,000 employees the two Baltimore school systems (City and County) are by far the largest employer in Maryland, combined they operate over 350 buildings, the entire downtown of a mid-size city. Shouldn't these mega organizations be considered not only  highly important for education but also economic development, urban renewal and urban space?

    Unfortunately, for all the public attention that public schools get, economic development, urban renewal and place-making aren't typically the topics of discussion. As a consequence, schools frequently undo places instead of making them, especially when

    Friday, August 22, 2014

    Schools as Place Makers

    The nation spent over thirteen billion dollars on school construction in 2013. In my area,  Baltimore City and Baltimore County combined have earmarked over 2.1 billion dollars on their ten year school construction programs. It would probably be no exaggeration to say that those type investments would make a difference to the built environment. To understand how much school systems are players in our metros consider this: Baltimore County schools alone transport 75,000 kids every day in their own buses, a ridership that 
    Transportation instead of place
    represents 1/3 of the public transit passengers of the entire MTA, buses and rail combined. With almost 30,000 employees the two Baltimore school systems (City and County) are by far the largest employer in Maryland, combined they operate over 350 buildings, the entire downtown of a mid-size city. Shouldn't these mega organizations be considered not only  highly important for education but also economic development, urban renewal and urban space?

    Unfortunately, for all the public attention that public schools get, economic development, urban renewal and place-making aren't typically the topics of discussion. As a consequence, schools frequently undo places instead of making them, especially when


  • 2.  RE: Schools as Place Makers

    Posted 08-25-2014 07:59 PM
    Greetings,

    Thanks for your recent post about how enormous, imposing & uneffective the schools footprint is 
    on our urban fabrics, place making and our environment.

    You are in Baltimore, which is my area of interest this summer as I'm watching the development 
    of Connections Academy, headquartered in Baltimore. An exceptionally well designed system of
    online K-12 learning & instruction. It is a fully accredited & chartered public school where parents,
    teachers & students form a very effective learning triangle. Compared to physical brick & mortar
    schools, Connections Academy's carbon footprint is closer to zero. No matter how much hype the
    greening of schools is getting nowadays. Not that I don't love brick & mortar, in fact its my passion.

    However, I'm delighted to say that Connections Academy, who now has it's program delivered in
    most states, could very well mark the dawning of the future of K-12 schools. The present system 
    has worn out its welcome. Bulky, excessive, unhealthy, wasteful & environmentally unfriendly.

    Needless to say, the public school system is not and cannot be a place making system because
    it is divisive. You have elementary, then middle, then high schools each with its own catchment
    area, thereby creating a learning discontinuity, from which stems vast social, cultural & urban
    fabric discontinuities. Older school models maybe contributed more to place making because the 
    whole school K-12 was in one area serving a smaller cluster or student body. Kids entering
    Kindergarten could see kids graduating from High school; enough years to build onto a continuity 
    & to establish memories and therefore make a place. For that to happen in this day & age a vast
    transformation will have to take place; keeping in mind the latest technological advancements.

    The new wave of online schooling has a greater solution potential to the present dilemma than any
    other grandiose school reconstruction or improvement programs posing as a greening movement.
    If only the government would save their billions of dollars & instead invest them in place making. 
    I do invite you and everyone to look into this and let me know what your thoughts are.
       
    I thank you for your stimulating & thought provoking post as well as your other posts.
         
    Sincerely,

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    Sami Freiji
    Principal
    SAMI LLC
    Decatur GA
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  • 3.  RE: Schools as Place Makers

    Posted 08-29-2014 04:01 PM
    I agree that schools function much better on a community scale rather than on a regional model.  I'm not sure I understand, however, how children going to school online contributes to place-making or how they can see 12th graders graduating.  I'm also not sure that the online model works at the low-income end of the spectrum where all students don't have access to reliable internet access.  I believe that schools provide many other types of critical life lessons beyond general knowledge that stem from children interacting with each other and their teachers.  Face to face friendships, collaboration, social skills, meaningful discourse in real time to name a few.  All of these were more effectively taught when kids were able to walk to school.  But I'm afraid that education is headed down the same road that healthcare did 20 years ago when economics and business models took over as the priority rather than the mission.  And so, the transformation continues.

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    Gary Wagner AIA
    managing director
    Donnelly Wagner Architects, LLC
    Cinnaminson NJ
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  • 4.  RE: Schools as Place Makers

    Posted 09-01-2014 05:47 PM

    I believe this conversation and the points being made about the poor utilization of education funding is extremely important.
    Government needs to work and work needs to be toward healthy neighborhoods. 
    Schools are turning more and more into isolated jails and they have the potential to be so much more.
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    William Freimuth AIA
    Architect
    William Freimuth Architecture, PC
    Farmington NM
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