Page 16 - College Planning & Management, September 2018

THE SAFE AND SECURE CAMPUS
SAFE BY DESIGN
CAN ATTENTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN LEAD TO A SAFER CAMPUS?
BY DAVID MOORE
IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING the shooting at Columbine High School, there have been increas-
ingly troubling incidents of similar tragedies that have elevated the dis- course of how to make our educational facilities safer. Likewise, we have seen major incidents at our colleges and universities that have affected the lives of students and faculty deeply; Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Texas come to mind as cautionary examples.
From school size, to the neurosci- ence behind the developing brain, to mental health issues, there has been much research and speculation on the underlying causes for these events. However, when the focus turns to how to bolster our campuses, make them safer, and create deterrents, a panacea is equally elusive. The thinking is, if we, as a society, can reduce access to weapons and change the environment that leads to disenfranchisement and hate, we can reduce these occurrences. However, in the instances when we cannot, the last safety net is the design of the physical environment.
While the TSA security checkpoints that are present in every airport may be an effective way to ensure weapons do not enter our school buildings, this is a solution that we still find unaccept- able for our educational institutions. And for good reason. Educational institutions are not utilitarian. Leader- ship and innovation are cultivated
at schools and universities, driving societal, economic, and technological advancement. Fear and distraction are the enemies of learning.
WHAT ABOUT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES?
When the conversation extends from how to secure buildings and expands to securing entire campuses, the challenge is even greater.
The concept of the collegiate campus is rooted in the Italian word “campo,” which refers to a protected green space. In many cases, our campuses are organized around this central green space and feature an iconic structure surrounded by major buildings. From this central green, a pattern of purposeful structures radiates outward, separated by secondary green spaces that reinforce the interrelated components of the collegiate experience—aca- demic, social, residential, and athletic life.
The challenge of securing larger campuses is exacerbated by the fact that the bounds
of the college are more loosely defined than those of the neighborhood school. In urban settings, there is often no distinction between campus and city space. Even in more rural settings, the collegiate campus often embraces its connection with the surrounding commu- nity, inviting non-faculty and non-students to visit and engage in its many activities. Public access to the campus and its facilities is expected and even desired, especially for collegiate sports. Yet the fact remains, like the neighborhood school, each separate entity of the col- legiate campus must be protected.
In “Creating a Safe Campus,” a recent white paper authored by Susan Baker, AIA, ALEP, we see the essential role that comprehensive environmental design plays in providing a
safe and secure learning environment for public schools. As part of this ongoing national conversation about school safety, it is useful to explore common ground amongst concerned professionals representing all facets of these issues. Together we can better understand how observations about safety in K–12 education might also apply within the realm of higher education—creating a safer collegiate campus.
Baker outlines three important layers of good design by combining environmental design with active security systems, all under an umbrella of strategic measures that work together to achieve a culture of safety. This layered approach—design, design + systems, design +
16 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / SEPTEMBER 2018 WEBCPM.COM
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