How do they get there? A spatial analysis of a ‘sprawl school’ in Oregon

For over 50 years, communities across the United States (US) have experienced a shift away from small, neighbourhood schools to large ones located on the urban periphery. Two effects of this type of ‘sprawl school siting’ are increased traffic congestion during school pick-up and drop-off times and decreased walking and cycling by children accessing school. This study is a spatial exploration of how students get to school at one such sprawling location in Bend, Oregon. As a vital part of the community, schools can have a profound impact on the social, economic and physical character of a city (Chung et al., 2002). While ‘sprawl’ schools are often built to satisfy shifting regional populations, new schools tend to be built even beyond new development (where land purchase may be less expensive) and, given their distance from local housing, often require major arterials for school access. As a result, children have become highly dependent on adults with cars, especially where school buses do not provide services. And as schools consolidate into larger buildings built far from residential areas, parents find themselves left with no choice but to drive their children to school and extra-curricular activities. One obvious effect of this type of ‘sprawl school siting’—building large new facilities on the urban fringe—is increased traffic congestion during school pick-up and drop-off times, in some cases resulting in as much as a 30% increase in cars (United States Environmental Protection Agency Development Community and Environment Division, 2003). Another potential impact can be seen in decreases of physical activity among youth. When school sites are remote, and children do not walk or ride bikes to school, they are deprived of the opportunity to exercise. This, in combination with a variety of other factors (poor diets, television, the popularity of video/computer games) has lead to an increase in the number of overweight and obese children in the US (Schmidt, 2003). For this reason, many new national programmes are emerging to promote walking and biking to school, including the US Department