Beyond the Freeway: City Planning (Guidebook)

Beyond the Freeway: City Planning is a module designed to give students a greater appreciation and understanding on the inner workings of the community in which they live. By combining real-world learning with the creation of a fictional town of their own, students will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned from both the field trip as well as in various subject areas across the curriculum. Students participating will leave the program with a better appreciation and understanding of what it takes not only to run a city on a daily basis, but the complexity of organizational skills and infrastructure necessary to survive a disasters, both natural and otherwise.

The module consists of two main parts beginning with a field trip. The second part is the construction by students of a model town or village which must sustain the effects of a disaster. The field trip includes three stops; the first at a local dam, where a representative from the Division of Water spoke with the group. Another stop was the cities Emergency Management Agency where students had the opportunity to tour the command center. Finally the group stopped at the Ohio Fire academy. Alterations and suggestions for your field trip are located in this guidebook.

The second aspect of the module is the design and construction of a mock town or city. Using the knowledge gained from the field trip as well as from other curricular areas (curriculum links are addressed in this sourcebook) this community will need to be self-sustaining and be able to withstand the effects of an emergency situation. Issues of prevention, response, and short and long-term social, economic, and environmental effects should also be taken into account when designing their individual village. (authors)