Smart Growth and Education: Implications of School Siting
In order to put the interaction between environmental and urban policy anywhere on the map, not only do we have to educate ourselves, but we need to educate more broadly. To encourage our members to go into the schools in their community on Earth Day, the Smart Growth and Urban Policy Committee has developed a lesson plan for eighth graders, which can be modified to accommodate different grade levels. Students will participate in a mock public hearing in which they discuss the issues involved in siting a school facility. Students will be given roles to play at the hearing while the SEER Section member and/or teacher will act as the moderator(s) to draw out the various issues. The goal of this lesson plan is to highlight the importance of location in environmental decision making and environmental concerns in land use decisions. To facilitate your efforts, the Smart Growth and Urban Policy Committee has assembled the following Lesson Plan.