School Design Gets a Big Fat "F"

Perhaps the fastest growing portion of the obese population is school-aged children. Children as young as six are now struggling with obesity and other associated health problems, and research from past generations have shown that obese children are likely to become obese adults. There are many reasons why child obesity rates have grown greatly over the past 40 years. One reason is our food, which I have thoroughly discussed in a previous post. Another involves what children choose (or are allowed) to do for leisure time. Television is the big culprit, but is being quickly overtaken by computer games and the internet. Children used to spend a good proportion of their free time outside, running around, exploring, and playing games. Perhaps the biggest reason why children are playing outside less and less these days is because there is very little nature left in our cities to pique their interest. And the second most important reason why children now spend their free time in-doors is because parents fear for their safety. Richard Louv discusses both of these concepts in his book, “Last Child In The Woods.” Louv argues that ball fields and grassy areas are not as fascinating or beneficial for children as untouched natural areas, such as forests and creeks. Many of today’s parents grew up exploring their country-sides, swinging in trees, and swimming in local lakes. Today, however, many of these activities would apparently be unthinkable for parents to permit. Children wandering through the woods alone is a seen as a recipe for disaster, playing in trees could be an accident waiting to happen, rivers and lakes are heavily polluted and dangerous (this one is actually a valid concern and should spur political action among parents in support of local environmental standards), and predators could constantly be lurking in the bushes. Louv addresses these fears as well. He presents evidence that, while we are bombarded daily with reports and images of violent crime, including child abductions and the like, rates of these crimes have not changed since the 1950s. We simply have more access to these stories, and the media does what it can to sensationalize as much as possible. But again, perception is everything.

I believe that one of the most important culprits of childhood obesity is school design. Remember when schools were built within neighborhoods? These were schools that were placed within a 10 to 15 minute walk from most of the students that they served. The entrances of those schools avoided busy streets, were designed to be accessible from the neighborhood sidewalks, and parking lots were pushed to the back, kept small in the front, or placed on another plot of land altogether. There was actually need for schools to hire crossing guards because students could walk to school. There are still many great neighborhood schools in Bethlehem and downtown Salt Lake City, and I even attended one in West Phoenix, of all places. But most of these schools were built many years ago and their attendance boundaries were purposely limited. They don’t build them like that anymore! Now, most neighborhoods are planned without thought of integrating a school, and when a suburban neighborhood begins to grow to the point that a new school is warranted, districts try to get as much land for their money by purchasing large plots of land (usually farmland) in the middle of nowhere. These schools are planned to be many times larger than neighborhood schools, they are placed in the middle or to the very back of their monstrous properties, and the size of their parking lots are, frankly, ridiculous. Most are built a great distance from where a good portion of their students live; thus, they are likely to be located along busy major arterial roads. In some extremely suburban (pretty much rural) areas, there is no sidewalk access for the few students who would walk.

Because of poor planning and short-sighted school financial decisions, the number of children walking to school today is a mere fraction of what it was 40, 30, or even 20 years ago. The way these schools are designed, it is physically impossible for children to walk there. Sometimes it is impossible (or at least improbable, and mostly unsafe because of heavy traffic) for children to bike these routes. Students must either be driven by parents or a bus driver. But even bus transportation becomes improbable for these kids. In some areas, buses have to serve areas that are so spread out that some kids must catch the bus at 6:30 a.m. or earlier.

There have been some attempts to solve issues of safety in areas where walking to school is possible. These programs, such as Safe Routes to School and Walking School Bus, take a “safety in numbers” approach that, if you are worried about the safety of your child, is a good solution. But these programs are not feasible in areas where walking isn’t possible in the first place. We will never make any real progress on childhood obesity until we begin creating real neighborhoods (that includes schools, corner stores, offices, and restaurants) again. We can start by using current middle-of-nowhere school grounds as in-fill projects, creating completely new and traditional neighborhoods around them.