Purpose--The purpose of this paper is to offer an example, for, school administrators and planners, of the cohesiveness of community policies and school design and planning endeavors during the 1980s in Arizona, USA. Design/methodology/approach--The paper reports the results of a qualitative, discourse analysis involving images of the exterior and interior of a high school. Findings--The built environment included three separate discourses which supported a community ideology that was common in the late 1980s. The three discourses involved natural surveillance, fostering neighborly interactions, and planned diversity of spaces. Practical implications--This paper provides insight into school design and planning, the integration of the surrounding community and how schooling practices can be influenced because of this context. Originality/value--Tanner's article in 2000 discussing the influence of school architecture on academic achievement introduced this discussion to administrators and planners and articles in the May issue of "Journal of Educational Administration" continued the discussion. This paper furthers the discussion through a qualitative, visual study; so as to generate new understandings. (Contains 12 plates.)