School Siting

Since the 1970s, school planning has paralleled real estate development by locating schools along highways and major  arterial roadways on the edge of communities rather than the core of communities, often chasing cheaper land and wider roadways to accommodate morning and afternoon auto traffic.  Historically, schools had been located in the centers of communities to protect children from heavy automobile traffic and to accommodate pedestrian activity.

Neighborhood schools made communities more livable by creating a sense of place. Families lived close to schools which allowed more parent teacher interaction and easier access to extracurricular activities.  Current trends not only further fragment communities, but limit walking and biking to school, increase congestion along major thoroughfares which increases commute times and air quality degradation, and promote sprawl.                                                              

Various stakeholders are needed to come together to discuss how to coordinate transportation planning, funding, and school locations.  Initial discussions are underway that will highlight the impacts school siting and transportation have on each other related safety, mobility, transportation financing, and air quality.  Better coordination between school locations and transportation facilities can provide for more efficient planning of both systems. 

Activities to Date

Presentation to Joint Committee of Denton City Council and Denton ISD (March 5, 2012)
The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) delivered a presentation on school siting issues to a joint meeting of the City of Denton and Denton Independent School District (DISD) on March 5, 2012. Topics included strategies for coordinating inter-agency planning and other issues related to land use and transportation connections. A copy of the presentation is available here.

Workshop with McKinney City Council and McKinney ISD (February 21, 2011)
Staff from NCTCOG and TxDOT delivered a presentation to members of the McKinney City Council and McKinney ISD on February 21, 2011.  Discussion topics included: traffic congestion, health and safety concerns, Safe Routes to School, and potential community benefits to be realized from coordination on school siting issues.  As a result of the workshop and additional follow-up, NCTCOG is drafting a white paper aimed at addressing these issues and formulating recommendations as a pilot project for the City of McKinney. A copy of the presentation is available here.

Regional Kickoff Meeting (April 27, 2010)
NCTCOG's Regional Transportation Council (RTC) hosted a kickoff meeting on school siting and land use/transportation connections on April 27, 2010. Elected officials, city staff, and ISD superintendents and facilities coordinators were invited to attend. A copy of the presentation is available here.

Resources National Trust for Historic Preservation: Helping Johnny Walk to School Journal of the American Planning Association: School Siting Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting Schools for Successful Communities: An Element of Smart Growth      Active School Neighborhood Checklist     Putting Schools on the Map: Linking Transit-Oriented Development, Families, and Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area Links/Web sites Coalition for Community Schools Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI)       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Siting of School Facilities U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Healthy School Environments North Central Texas Council of Governments: North Central Texas Clean School Bus Program     Center for Cities & Schools Smart Growth America: Children & Schools National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities

Contacts
School Siting
Aaron Brown, Transportation Planner, abrown@nctcog.org, 817-695-9260

Safe Routes to School
Deborah Humphreys, Transportation Planner, dhumphreys@nctcog.org, 817-608-2394