Connecting Schools with Local Communities Through Walkable Urban Design

Abstract

Educational facilities generate traffic to and from school by car, on foot and on wheels. Which mode of travel dominates in a school community depends on several different factors including but not limited to the neighbourhood design, traffic safety, employment structures, community norms, and school policies. This chapter traces the socio-technical entanglements of traveling to school. We focus on the barriers to, and benefits of, active travel (i.e., walking or wheeling for transport) and showcase what children value on their route to school. Additionally, we highlight how built environments and social practices need to be transformed for creating sustainable, healthy and inclusive urban environments. We argue that to foster inclusive communities and to create a sense of belonging outside the school gates, a multi sector approach is needed to challenge and transform current travel norms and practices together with the physical environment of neighbourhood travel.