Urban School Design Solutions: [Detroit’s Chadsey/Munger, Community Centered Opportunities]

Abstract

Schools should be viewed as agents for urban revitalization and critical parts of our communities. As a society attempting to change for the global good it is only logical to implement new design and environmental technologies into our schools. The deteriorating conditions of public schools are a deterrent to students’ educational growth and development. Environments that are energy and resource efficient, as well as healthy well-lit and containing the amenities for a quality education are the most valuable for students and their future. Drop-out rates in Detroit public schools are astonishingly high compared to the national averages. Revitalizing school designs has proven to be a motivational force which encourages education and facilitates the learning experience. Neighborhood or community schools are perhaps the best approach to allowing deteriorating communities to grow together once again. This thesis proposes such a school design that will retain students and promote a relationship with the community in an effort to instill a concern for the degradation of the environment.