Beyond the Classroom Walls: Evaluating the Potential of Bogota's Built Environment to Enhance Student Performance
With the support of the Georgetown Americas Institute, Daniela Gonzalez studied four schools in Bogota, Colombia to evaluate how the internal and external classroom environments impact student performance.
The quality of the built environment directly shapes the development of children and adolescents, as exemplified in the case of four schools in the locality of Ciudad Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia. Children and adolescents spend most of their waking hours outside of schools, underscoring the potential of the public realm in complementing traditional academic learning.
Gonzalez’s research embraces a mixed methodology, including geospatial analysis, focus groups with children of each school, interviews with relevant stakeholders, including the school principals, and onsite field study and site analysis conducted by the author. Research reveals a pressing need for more investment in creating cities for children that are more walkable, vibrant, and healthy environments accessible to amenities that allow children to capitalize on their time outside of school.
Gonzalez argues that elements of the built environment can work as leverage to complement school learning, enhance the independence and confidence of children, reduce the responsibility for caregivers, and promote sustainable commuting patterns for students. Her paper provides practical tools to evaluate the built environment around schools, empowering urban planners and educators to make informed decisions that could significantly enhance the development of children.