In recent days I have been struck by stories involving two districts that are closing schools.
Providence, R.I. and Detroit, Mich. are planning to close a total of 48 schools over the next few weeks. While there are ten times more schools on the closure list in Detroit (44) than in Providence (4), no one can say that the Motor City's cuts are eleven times more painful.
Closing even one school has a deep emotional impact on a community.
As a school designer and planner, I have to appreciate that every school building will, at some point in time, outlive their useful life. We try, as best we can, to make that point in time as far in the future as possible, but the years have a habit of creeping up on us.
We say that we build schools to last 50 years or more; 50 years from now is the year 2061. That
