Regional Plan Association - Healthy Communities


	Plainfield Schools Plan		In the past few decades, the conception of a school has shifted from a community center bringing together the entire neighborhood to that of a mega-school on the periphery of a community, separated from and separating the community. This shift also seems to be the cause of a more disturbing trend: childhood obesity. With schools far from their homes, both in terms of physical distance and pedestrian inaccessibility, very few children now can walk or bike to their schools. At the same time, the civic importance of the school has also decreased; no longer is the school the symbolic center of the community. To revitalize the neighborhood, to improve the physical health of the children, as well as reestablish the community identity, RPA worked with Plainfield, New Jersey, and has created a report that would encourage the re-introduction of neighborhood schools in the Region. Schools and Healthy Communities Interim Report [PDF, 809 KB]


			Childhood Obesity The problem of childhood obesity is one that cannot be ignored any longer. Fifteen percent of children and adolescents today are obese, nearly doubling in the past twenty years. Furthermore, childhood diabetes, respiratory diseases such as asthma, increased blood pressure, and orthopedic and psychological disorders are all illnesses that result from obesity and are being seen at higher rates and younger ages than ever before. Clearly something is causing this rise in problems in children. That something is the sprawling automobile-centered development pattern that arose in the post-war era. As more and more errands and trips are done using the car, walking has practically been eradicated from the daily life of suburban children. In fact, studies show that people living in less dense sprawling areas are more likely to be overweight and obese than those living in mixed use areas in traditional "inner ring" suburbs with a traditional grid pattern-like neighborhood. School Involvement In 1969, around 48% of all school children walked or biked to school as compared to 16% in 2001. This has been a direct result of the mega-school trend that has shifted the school out of the center of the community to the periphery, making it impossible for students to take themselves to school. Another result of this shift has been a hike in transportation costs to schools. Studies show that neighborhood schools could save up to 32% on transportation costs as compared to schools isolated from the community. RPA With the landmark Abbott decision in New Jersey, several school districts have been given extra funding to pull the school out of the proverbial hole. Using such funding, school districts like Plainfield, NJ are altering their school system to better serve the students' academic and physical needs. The schools in Plainfield are designed to be more tied into the community and more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. Several demonstration projects are just now bearing fruit for their respective school districts: Neptune, Union City, New Brunswick, New Haven (CT), and New York (NY).