The 21st Century Schools Department of the Portland Public School administration is in the process of crafting new policies and guidelines for the infrastructure of all district schools. These policies will guide strategies to help ensure the passage of bond measures for capital improvements.
Community and in-house workshops and conferences in all areas of facilities planning are being held.
Steven Koch, FASLA of Koch Landscape
Architecture developed and facilitated
the School Site Planning Workshop and
Awareness Tour in August 2009 at Franklin High School and Atkinson Elementary School in Portland.
Participants included over 30 PPS staff
from all fields, OSU outreach program
coordinators, City of Portland Parks
and BES staff. Growing Gardens staff
and landscape and architecture design
professionals also attended. By providing in-depth background information and utilizing the varied knowledge of the participants
issues were defined and common threads revealed.
The event actively engaged participants. A tour of two school sites and the recording of personal and group insights provided critical information for the workshop. The direct tour experience and exposure to the challenges faced by School District and its programs set the stage for participants to realistically approach complex school site issues. Small
groups then designed ideal site plans for a variety of schools, each with unique and diverse program elements.
The workshop’s planning solutions and the viewpoints gathered from a full spectrum of professionals are essential to the process of successful policy development. Through
thoughtful planning PPS is helping ensure schools provide engaging and supportive learning environments for our children, our communities and the future.
PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WORKSHOP
Portland, Oregon
