[Vision2020] school siting study

[bill london]

This seems relevant as Moscow discusses a new high school, neighborhood 
elementaries, etc
BL

>>
>> New EPA Study:  Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting
>>
>> This new study evaluates the relationship between school location,
>> travel choices and the environment.
>>
>> "Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting," released by
>> the EPA on October 8, 2003, is the first study to empirically examine
>> the relationship between school locations, the built environment around
>> schools, how kids get to school, and the impact on air emissions of
>> those travel choices. Over the next few decades, communities making
>> decisions about the construction and renovation of thousands of schools
>> will be challenged to meet multiple goals -- educational, fiscal, and
>> environmental.
>>
>> The study finds that:
>>
>> ·     School proximity to students matters.  Students with shorter walk
>> and bike times to school are more likely to walk or bike.
>>
>> ·     The built environment influences travel choices.  Students
>> traveling through pedestrian-friendly environments are more likely to
>> walk or bike.
>>
>> ·     Because of travel behavior differences, school location has an
>> impact on air emissions.  Centrally located schools that can be reached
>> by walking and bicycling result in reduced air emissions from driving.
>>
>> ·     More data collection and research are needed to add further to 
>> the
>> understanding of these effects.  Specifically, improved data about both
>> school travel and the built environment as well as new modeling
>> techniques can build on these results.
>>
>> For some time, there has been a trend toward construction of big schools
>> and requirements for large sites.  Guidelines, recommendations, and
>> standards that encourage or require building large schools on new
>> campuses or discourage renovation are embedded in a variety of state and
>> local regulations, laws and funding formulas.  This study provides
>> important information about the effect of school location on how
>> children get to school.  It shows that school siting and design can
>> affect choices of walking, biking, or driving.  In turn, these changes
>> in travel choices could affect traffic congestion, air pollution, and
>> school transportation budgets.
>>
>> To request copies of this report, call EPAâ?Ts National Service 
>> Center for
>> Environmental Publications at (513) 891- 6561 and ask for publication
>> number EPA 231-R-03-004. To access this report online, visit the
>> Publications section of http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth.
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