FLORIDA PLANNING A publication of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association
PLANNING FOR CHILDREN - Spring 2021
florida.planning.org
SCHOOL PLANNERS A NICHE WITH A TWIST By: Amber K. Dickerson, AICP, and Matthew Pleasant
Not long ago, a local elected official made a suggestion during a meeting we think you’ll agree with: You know what? The school district should hire a planner. Luckily, a school planner was in attendance.
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chool districts should hire planners, and they do, for good reason. Schools impact every facet of our communities. They are often among the largest land owners and top employers in a community. The yellow buses in your neighborhood may make them your area’s largest provider of public transit. School districts are significant sources of walk and bike trips for children—our most vulnerable travelers—and vehicles pack roads twice each day to reach schools. In addition to the core goal of education, school districts provide children with much more, including meals. It’s no wonder many homebuyers ask themselves the same question while looking for a new neighborhood: What are the schools like? Despite that, school planning is still somewhat of an outlier in the profession and faces several challenges. Rather than neatly fitting into a core planning discipline like land use, housing, or transportation, schools involve each (and are impacted by siloed decisionmaking in all of them). School planners may find themselves initiating long-needed dialogue with these other disciplines and pushing for a greater voice in community-wide planning efforts. Additionally, school planners must navigate within an agency where the main mission is education, not planning. continued on page 13
OTHER FEATURES
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
4
Tapping K-12
5
Box City Empowers Kids
6
Washington Park: A Narrative
8
City is Your Sandbox
10
Super Troopers
11
Generational Planning Influencers
12
Largo Highland Playground
14
FPC21 Updates
President’s Message - p. 3 Section Happenings - p. 15 Planners on the Move - p. 16 Member Spotlight p. 17 Working for You - p. 18 Consultants Directory - p. 19 Events - back page
The Florida Chapter of APA provides statewide leadership in the development of sustainable communities by advocating excellence in planning, providing professional development for its members, and working to protect and enhance the natural and built environments.