Integrating strongInfrastructurestrong Planning The Role of Schools.pdfVIP

Integrating Infrastructure Planning: The Role of Schools B Y D E B O R A H M C K O Y , J E F F R E Y M . V I N C E N T , A N D C A R R I E M A K A R E W I C Z “The best cure f or destructive sp rawl is to build cities p eop le don’t want to abandon, p laces where they can live healthy, f ulfi lling lives in densities that don’t devour our landscap es, pave our wilderness and p ollute our watersheds, air, and wildlif e. To achieve this, we need to invest in urban schools, transp ortation, parks, health care, p olice p rotection, and inf rastructure that makes cities g reat mag nets with g ravity suffi cient to draw back the creep ing suburbs.” —Robert F. Kennedy, J r. A C C E S S 18 CA IF ORNIA’S GO DEN OPP ORT UNITY California sits at an historic moment. The state’s policymakers an voters have aggressively rampe up their investment in public school buil ings, provi ing more than $35 billion in state fun s in the form of general obligation bon s to mo ernize existing schools an buil new ones since 1998. A itionally, the Calif ornia Strateg ic Growth Plan won voter approval an in 2006 state lea ers began the first phase of a comprehensive twenty-year plan to upgra e critical infrastructure. The plan calls for spen ing $211 billion through 2016—with $42 billion in bon s alrea y approve —on transportation, water systems, public safety, housing, the ju iciary, an e ucation facilities. By inclu ing public schools as o