Harvard GSD MAUD Thesis Presentation - Pathways Between Home and School: Urban Design for Childhood

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Pathways Between Home and School Urban Design for Childhood

William Toohey III, MAUD 2020 Harvard University Graduate School of Design




Contents

• Abstract • 5 Organizing Principles • Theoretical Framework • Analysis of State & Local Context • Case Studies: Tactical, Architectural, Master Plan • Design Proposal • Conclusion



Abstract

Gosling Meadows Home

Education Home

Health

Wamesit Place

Housing

Urban Design Interventions

S

Do


School New Franklin

School

ondero

Little Harbour School

Home Winchester Place


5 Organizing Principles for a Child-Centered Ne

1. Mobility

2. Natural Systems

Establish a safe and continuous loop of walkable and bikeable paths to support the physical health needs of children and families.

Provide adequate access to natural systems that encourage psychological well-being through free exploration and connections with nature.

3. Accou

Site commercial and programming next t spaces to encourage street� approach to c and safety.


eighborhood

untability

d residential to large public an “eyes-on-thecommunity health

4. Learning

Create a resilient network of educational facilities that support the rapidly changing developmental needs of young people.

5. Living

Improve relationships between lowincome households and educational facilities as a response to existing barriers and school performance inequities.


Quotes from the Literature that Defend Categories “A child’s biology determines how physiological processes unfold and how organ systems adapt to outside influences. Biological response patterns, including responses to stress, novel situations, and primary relationships, can directly and indirectly influence other biological, cognitive (learning), and behavioral processes.” (NCBI, 2004)

“Reviews of experimental evaluations of high-quality early childhood education programs have concluded that intensive programs improve children’s short-term cognitive development and longterm academic achievement, as well as reduce grade retention of children in special education (Barnett, 1995; Farran, 2000; Karoly et al., 1998) and rates of academic failure, delinquent behavior, and adolescent pregnancy rates (Hawkins et al., 1992). Furthermore, some of these programs also improve children’s long-term social behavior, as indicated by fewer arrests and reports of delinquent behavior. Indeed, the payoffs to early education programs may well exceed those of formal schooling (Heckman, 1999).” (NCBI, 2004)

Examples of Influences on Child Health

Broad Categories of Concern for Early Childhood Development

- Obesity - Diabetes - Traffic Injuries

Biological Health

- Stress - Trauma - Fear

Psychological Health

- Bullying - Violence - Resource Environments (Family, Community, Peer, and School) - Culture

Social Health

Pediatric and Family Health

- Public Middle School - Public Elementary School - Head Start

Formal Education

- Library - Cultural Institution - Recreation Center - Playscape - Park

Informal Education

“Kindergarten readiness is undermined by early childhood exposure to poor housing and disadvantaged neighborhoods.” (Coulton et al., 2016) “Research suggests that housing is not only critical for meeting children’s basic needs; it can be a platform for improving education outcomes.” (Cunningham & MacDonald, 2012, p. 11)

Education (preK-8)

- Local Housing Authority

Publicly-Owned LIFH

- Private Development

Privately-Owned LIFH Low-income Family Housing

Theoretical Framework

Po


otential Correlations

Urban Design Strategies: Elements for Spatial Improvements Playscape Playground equipment (e.g., custom-made swing set) Recreation space (e.g., skatepark, basketball court, baseball field, tennis courts) Temporary inflatable structures (e.g., birthday parties and community events) Water playscape features Oversized musical instruments Serpentine sidewalk Maze pad area Playful street furniture Climbable objects Sidewalk games Public Space Access to nature and open green spaces (e.g., a public park) Seating (e.g., public benches or chairs) Signage/Policy “Kids At Play” signage “School Zone” signage Reduced and enforced speed limit Noise reduction strategies Street/Path Sidewalks Street extension Bike lanes Bus shelter Crosswalks and cautionary street markings Street safety measures (e.g., bollards or hardscape buffer) Lighting (e.g., street lights that illuminate public spaces at night) Building Parking structure Mixed-income housing Public library branch Elementary school Satellite middle school Recreation center Amenity Fresh food markets Community garden Live music or performances Outdoor movie screenings Outdoor ice skating rink and other winter activities Food trucks Local Programs Weekly Meditation every Monday at 6 PM and Wednesday at 12:15 PM, taught by a variety of local practitioners (PPL) Language Discussion Groups in a variety of languages to practice your speaking and listening skills (PPL) Book Discussion Groups for adults as well as for kids and teens (PPL) Story Times for all ages (PPL) In Stitches Needlework groups every Wednesday and Thursday (PPL) Films throughout the year (PPL) Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (non-profit organization providing music and visual arts opportunities for all) Community Engagement Inclusive community meetings and participatory design processes Funding Safe Routes to School Program KABOOM! Playground Grant Relevant Legislation MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act) 2012 The FAST Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act) 2015 Equity Access to adequate pediatric and family health services (bio/psycho/social) Access to adequate early childhood education Access to adequate housing Access to reliable transit (e.g., car, bus, or bike) Access to adequate job(s) Access to adequate daycare services Close proximity to grocery store Close proximity to public swimming pool (e.g., local YMCA)


Federal Funding for Safe Routes to School: Evolution Through Three Transportation Bills 2005-2012

A New Program: Stand-Alone SRTS Funding SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users)

New program provided more than $1 billion to all states over 7 years

Funding to states for SRTS infrastructure & non-infrastructure grants to local schools and communities

Each state Department of Transportation had state-level SRTS coordinator

2012-2015

Combined Funding for SRTS, Walking, and Biking MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act) Infrastructure Projects: Projects improving streets and routes, such as sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, lane narrowing, crosswalks, and other intersection improvements

Eliminated stand-alone federal funding stream for SRTS

Non-Infrastructure Projects: Education, encouragement, and enforcement programs to support safe walking and bicycling, through efforts such as teaching kids safe walking skills, improving driver behaviors, and activities to get more kids and families walking

30%

less funding Combined federal SRTS program and other bicycling and walking programs into Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)

Overall 30% reduction in federal funding for SRTS, walking, and bicycling

2015-2020

Continuation of Combined Funding for SRTS, Walking, and Biking FAST Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act)

Key features of current TAP funding: • Funding can be used for walking, biking, and SRTS • No dedicated funding specifically for SRTS

The funding is still known as the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), although official name changed to “Surface Transportation Program Setaside”

• Funding is less than total for SRTS, walking, and biking when they were separate programs

The FAST Act retained most of MAP-21’s TAP features, with a few changes, such as making nonprofits eligible for the funding & modestly increasing the total amount of TAP funding per year

• State or funding recipient must provide a match of up to 20% of federal funds

• All TAP dollars are awarded through a competitive process by the state or regional bodies (metropolitan planning organizations), with local governments, school districts, and nonprofits eligible to apply • Funding can be used for Safe Routes to School infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects, including state and local Safe Routes to School coordinators • States are permitted to transfer up to 50% of these funds to highway uses

This infographic was funded by a grant from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and American Heart Association. © 2017 Safe Routes to School National Partnership | saferoutespartnership.org | facebook.com/saferoutespartnership


Centers for Disease Control & Prevention “Each year, the US

spends 7x as much money on medical costs alone to treat people killed or injured while walking and biking than it does on preventing those deaths and injuries through putting in sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and other infrastructure that keeps people safe.” “Currently, 18.4% of children aged 6-11 years and 20.5% of adolescents age 12-19 years have obesity.” “The proportion of students in grades K-8 who walk or bike to school fell from 47.7% in 1969 to only 12.7% in 2009.” “In 2008 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that young people aged 6-17 years participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.”

CDC. (2019, July 1). Safe Routes to School (SRTS) | Health Impact in 5 Years | Health System Transformation | AD for Policy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ policy/hst/hi5/saferoutes/index.html SRTS. (2019). History of Safe Routes to School | Safe Routes Partnership. https://www. saferoutespartnership.org/safe-routes-school/101/history


Analysis of State and Local Context

“1 in 4 children enrolled in Medicaid were not healthy based on CRG clinical risk groups. Healthy User includes children who sought care for minor illnesses (e.g., sore throat, upper respiratory infection)” (DHHS, 2010, p. 13)

1,118 children enrolled in Medicaid

DHHS. (2010). Children’s Health Insurance Programs in New Hampshire: Access, Prevention, Care Management, Utilization, and Payments, State Fiscal Year 2009. A report prepared for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services by Onpoint Health Data. https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ombp/documents/chip09.pdf


144 children enrolled in CHIP

DHHS. (2010). Children’s Health Insurance Programs in New Hampshire: Access, Prevention, Care Management, Utilization, and Payments, State Fiscal Year 2009. A report prepared for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services by Onpoint Health Data. https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ombp/documents/chip09.pdf


1990: 26,252 1999: 25, 798 2000: 20,822 2017: 21,796

18.7% = 3,894 children

GPPHN. (2007, p. 4). Greater Portsmouth Community Health Profile. The Greater Portsmouth Public Health Network. http://files.cityofportsmouth.com/health/080107PortsmouthProfile1.pdf


GPPHN. (2007, p. 6 & 9). Greater Portsmouth Community Health Profile. The Greater Portsmouth Public Health Network. http://files.cityofportsmouth.com/health/080107PortsmouthProfile1.pdf




256 S × 0.30 = 77 Students

415 S × 0.13 = 54 Students

301 S × 0.22 = 66 Students Total = 197 Students Sources: https://www.niche.com/k12/new-franklin-school-portsmouth-nh/ https://www.niche.com/k12/little-harbour-school-portsmouth-nh/ https://www.niche.com/k12/mary-c-dondero-elementary-school-portsmouth-nh/

Dondero S


256 Students

30% Free or Reduced Lunch New Franklin School

School

Little Harbour School

415 Students

13% Free or Reduced Lunch

301 Students

22% Free or Reduced Lunch


Gosling Meadows

100+ Children and Adolesc 150 Units Total n/a 1-Beds n/a 2-Beds n/a 3-Beds

Total = 395 Children and Adolescents Assumptions for Estimates: 1 bedroom is for an adult; additional bedrooms are for 1 child or adolescent; children don’t share bedrooms Sources: https://porthousing.org/housing-item/gosling-meadows/ https://porthousing.org/housing-item/wamesit-place/ http://www.winchester-place.com/


185 Children and Adolescents 124 Units Total 50 2-Beds 51 3-Beds 11 4-Beds

cents

Winchester Place Wamesit Place

110 Children and Adolescents 100 Units Total 20 1-Beds 50 2-Beds 30 3-Beds


Local Safe Routes to School Funding

“The City of Portsmouth is 1 of 11 communities awarded a grant under the most recent NH DOT’s Safe Routes to School Grant Round of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The City has been awarded a total of $105,239 out of the $1.9 million awarded state-wide. Most of the grant funds ($88,534) will be used for design and construction of an on-road bicycle route on Lafayette Road / Middle Street including marked bike lanes, pavement markings, and signage as appropriate. The remaining $16,705 will support non-infrastructure Safe Routes to School programs and activities, including Walk or Bike to School Day events; evaluation and tracking of walk / bike to school habits and preferences for Portsmouth K-to-8 schools; and program coordination and volunteer training.”

SRTS. (2013, December 2). Safe Routes to School Grant. City of Portsmouth Planning Department. https://www. cityofportsmouth.com/planportsmouth/safe-routes-school-grant


Portsmouth’s Corridor areas: “In 2010 much of the Route 1 corridor was rezoned from General Business to Gateway. The Gateway Planned Development provision and the prohibition against parking between the building and the street and within the front yard were introduced at this time to encourage active mixed-use districts with human-scale design and amenities for bikers and walkers.� (Master Plan, 2017, p. 121 & 124)




Case Studies: Tactical Urbanism

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Houston, Texas

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Houston, Texas

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Unknown


McAllen, Texas

Detroit, Michigan

Unknown


Case Studies: Housing & Early Childhood Educa

Sugar Hill

Maple Stre

“Preschool in a Museum” + Housing (Harlem)

Preschool + Mixed-inco


ation

eet School

ome Housing (Brooklyn)

Lake City Preschool + Daycare Center + Housing (Seattle)


Case Studies: Master Plans Car-Free Suburbia (MVRDV)

Richmond, Californi

Mannheim, Germany


ia

Pogo Park

Kid-friendly Urban Design

Toronto


Many of the poorest family housing developments---which are home to hundreds of the city’s children---are located over a mile away from their district’s public elementary school.

1.44mi


1.25mi

1.11mi


As a response, what if the city focused on imagining a more child-centered neighborhood that consolidated and centralized some of its most important resources?


Proposed Neighborhood


This neighborhood could restructure important relationships between education, health, and housing for children and families.



What works well for children and families? + Close proximity of Wamesit Place (PHA) to Greenleaf Recreation Center + Tree coverage and various natural systems + Ratio of paved to unpaved surfaces + Bicycle racks near recreation center + Local courts, athletic fields, and skatepark What doesn’t work well for children and families? - Lack of sidewalks - Lack of crosswalks - Lack of public seating (where are the benches?) - Dead-end streets (why doesn’t Holiday Drive connect to Lafayette Road?) - Lack of spaces to safely explore (why not utilize existing greenspaces?) - Lack of public space for gathering and hosting events - Lack of safe spaces to ride a bicycle - Pre-K through 8th grade only accessible by motor vehicle

Potential Risk Factors - Motor vehicles (movement, exhaust, failure to maintenance) - Noise pollution from close proximity to U.S. Route 1 Bypass - Sedentarism among children and adults Potential Protective Factors + Public space buffered by trees and other safety measures (e.g., bollards) + New signage and pavement markings + New sidewalks along Holiday Drive and Greenleaf Avenue + Noise reduction strategies + New proximity to health and education facilities


0 50

200

500’


Education

Health

Housing

S. U. ute Ro ss

a yp

1B

K-5 Elementary School

it

es

am

W e

ac

Pl

Greenleaf Recreation Center

Core Primary Care Portsmouth Lafayette

ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care

Road

Mixed-income housing


Portsmouth High School

Swimming Pool

Mixed-use cluster i

1/4 m

Wi

nch

est

er P

lac

e

Public library branch

Mixed-income housing integrated with big-box commercial as podium

0 50

200

500’


1. Mobility

Establish a safe and continuous loop of walkable and bikeable paths to support the physical health needs of children and families.


Angled Angled terrain terrain for playful encounters

Grass mound

Winding monkey bars

Interactive landscape features that function as fun & engaging Playscapes

Gas station

Raised intersection for speed reduction

Ground-level commercial Raised intersections, signage, and painted markings that support Safe Crossing

Mixed-income housing

Parking garage


2. Access to Nature

High School

Woods

Wetlands

Provide adequate access to natural systems that encourage psychological well-being through free exploration and connections with nature.



3. Accountability (Visibility)

Site commercial and residential programming next to large public spaces to encourage an “eyes-on-thestreet� approach to community health and safety.


Open greenspaces

Access to high quality Public Parks

Solid rubber ground covering (hurts less to fall on) Private gate (accessed by residents)

Fenced-off open spaces for toddlers and young children that encourage Safe Exploration


4. Learning

K-5 School Public Library Branch

Rec Center

Create a resilient network of education facilities that support the rapidly changing developmental needs of young people.


Greenleaf Recreation Center

Daycare courtyard Greenleaf Skatepark

Winding path through park

Access to facilities that support high quality Informal Education


5. Living

Improve relationships between low-income households and education facilities as a response to existing barriers and school performance inequities.


American Red Cross Wamesit Place Housing (PHA)

K-5 Elementary School

Sensory Path

Leasable Office Space

Cross Roads House Transitional Housing Services


Wamesit Place Housing (PHA)

K-5 Elementary School


American Red Cross

Cross Roads House (Transitional Housing Services) Leasable Office Space

Mixed-Income Housing

Sensory Path



New Greenleaf Recreation Center

Greenleaf Skatepark


Wamesit Place Housing (PHA)

K-5 Dondero Elementary Elementary School School

Atlantic Ocean

Sagamore Creek

Restaurant

Commercial Commercial

ia

St

St

.

.

Office Office Office Office Daycare

Al

ex

an

dr

all teh hi W

Le

dg

ew

oo

dD r.

Home Home Home Home

Home Home Home Home Home


American Red Cross Portsmouth KinderCare

Seacoast Community School

Leasable Office Space

Mixed-Income Housing

Wetlands

Home Home

.

Home Home

fA ea nl Gr ee

La

fay

ett

eR

ve

d.

K-5 School K-5 School


1. Mobility

2. Natural Systems

5. Living

4. Learning

3. Accountability



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