Attractive, well-designed, and well-sited schools communicate respect for the people that use them and contribute to a positive school climate, good discipline, and productive learning. By strategically locating windows, access points, and gathering places, for example, school designers can foster student safety and security. High-quality site planning and architecture also provide an opportunity to enhance the learning experience. 1206.1
It is also important that school modernization projects are sensitive to issues that extend beyond school boundaries. Issues like the safety of children traveling to and from school, public transit accessibility, and parking and traffic must be considered. 1206.2
Encourage DCPS and OPEFM to plan for the modernization of entire school campuses rather than just the school buildings. Where school facilities are adjoined by athletic fields, playgrounds, and open space, the improvement of these areas should be included in renovation plans wherever feasible. In addition, school employee parking should not be provided at the expense of recreational space.
Policy EDU-1.4.2: Promoting High-Quality Design
Require that the renovation or reconstruction of school facilities use high architectural and landscape design standards that are sensitive to community context as well as academic and student safety needs. 1206.4
Policy EDU-1.4.3: Safety First: Designing For Multiple Uses
Encourage school design to include appropriate measures to keep students safe, especially where multiple activities are accommodated in a single structure. 1206.5
Policy EDU-1.4.4: Eco-Friendly Design
Strongly support the use of green building, energy efficiency, and low-impact development methods in school construction and rehabilitation. 1206.6
Policy EDU-1.4.5: Pedestrian and Transit Access to Schools
Increase coordination between DDOT and DCPS to improve the safety of students walking to and from school through design and transportation improvements. In addition, new school buildings should be designed to foster safe and attractive pedestrian access. At the high school level, encourage the routing of bus lines to provide easy access to campuses, thereby minimizing the need for students to drive to school. 1206.7
Policy EDU-1.4.6: Neighborhood Schools
Strongly support the goal of making one's neighborhood school the "school of choice" so that children do not have to travel long distances to schools across town. 1206.8
The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9 a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10, r. 10-A1206