Trust for Public Land
The Pitch
The Trust for Public Land and the City of New York came together to create the Green Community Schoolyards project, transforming asphalt schoolyards in underserved areas into vibrant, green, flood-mitigating spaces that better serve students but are also available for community use.
The Problem
New York City has long been known as the “Concrete Jungle” for its towering skyscrapers and congested streets, but recently rising temperatures and extreme storm events have heightened the need for green spaces, especially in underprivileged neighborhoods.
The Process
- Worked with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to identify where schoolyards are most needed to mitigate flood risk
- Allowed local residents and students to take the lead in the creation of public spaces: Through participatory design, youth become mini-landscape architects and they, their peers and their neighbors decide what their new schoolyard will be
- Empowered those who have historically been disenfranchised
- Employed a data-driven approach aimed at maximizing both social and climate resilience benefits: High-priority sites are selected based on climate risks, social vulnerability indicators, neighborhood income levels, and other social and climate factors
The Impact
- Replaced 700,000 acres of impervious asphalt with pervious surface
- Created 225 community schoolyards across New York City that are open to their neighborhoods outside of school hours—improving health and livability, and enhancing the school experience
- Improved flood resilience by reducing runoff, preventing sewer overflows and absorbing pollutants: Each playground diverted more than 1 million gallons of stormwater per year
- Saved $2.43 billion in avoided stormwater treatment costs
- Created green spaces and gardens with native plants that address the urban heat island effect, naturally cool the area and serve as pollinator habitats
- Provided students with lasting environmental education that made them more environmentally conscious: Youth learned how they can contribute to a more sustainable city, how their school impacts the environment and how they can create a schoolyard that contributes to a greener neighborhood; once the schoolyards were built, students learned about tree care, pollinator identification and gardening
- Created a sense of public ownership of the completed schoolyards, fostering a commitment to local stewardship and empowering youth
- Offered economic benefits, including an estimated $15.2 billion in increased property value,$17.9 billion in tourism, $101 million in property tax revenue, $9.1 billion in recreational value and $1.14 billion in healthcare savings
- Inspired 15 other U.S. cities to adopt the project
