Bringing conservation to the playground
iThere’s an expression among conservation professionals that “asphalt is always the last crop.” Once an ecosystem gets plowed under and the very topsoil scraped off and trucked away, that’s true enough.
Except the opposite holds true at 30 public schools in Chicago. There, playgrounds once entombed in asphalt and cement have been reclaimed as park space. This ruin-to-recovery project is co-managed by Healthy Schools and Openlands, a Chicago-based land trust. Openlands protects wild land, ensures water quality and advocates for the environment across 17 counties in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
For some, rebuilding urban playgrounds may sound like more of a “parks and rec” move than something a land trust would do. But, as the 2020 Census revealed, land trusts are actively creating partnerships with community groups — 80% partner with youth development and education groups. Openlands’ involvement speaks to the power of these community partnerships, which can greatly amplify the resources and clout that today’s conservation efforts need to succeed.
“Our main driver is to connect people with nature wherever they live,” says Daniella Pereira, vice president of community conservation at Openlands. “We help people to access green space, and if that’s not available then we work with a community’s vision to re-green their neighborhood.”
The Space to Grow schoolyards began in 2014, under the auspices of the Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands. Capital support comes from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago. To qualify, a school must have at least 30,000 square feet of hard surface playground that they want to demolish, places where “kids didn’t even want to go outside because there was no place to sit or be alone. The research shows that there’s more bullying in places like that,” says Pereira. When complete, the resurrected playgrounds include trees, native plants, rain gardens and outdoor learning labs. Most also have tracks and sports fields, clad in permeable surfaces.
But what makes Space to Grow schoolyards far more complex (and expensive) than a typical playground is what lies beneath: a deep gravel substrate that’s engineered to absorb thousands of gallons of rainwater and storm runoff. Essentially, the schoolyards function like an infrastructure layer cake with an icing of recreational amenities on top.
What drives the partnership is a commitment by Chicago water agencies to better manage the city’s chronic rainwater runoff problem. They’re relying on the sponge-like qualities of green schoolyards to help reduce the combined sewage overflows that occur when excess stormwater mixes in the same sewer pipes with untreated waste and spills into local waters, such as Lake Michigan. The $1.5 million price tag for each Space to Grow schoolyard comes from Chicago Public Schools and water agency capital funds. As part of its schoolyard siting criteria, Space to Grow selects low-income neighborhoods that are prone to flooding. It’s a problem made worse by the heavy rains associated with climate change.
From the outset, local residents have ample say about their schoolyard’s design and operation. “We don’t start with a prototype,” says Meg Kelly, Space to Grow director. “The community gets a chance to do scenario planning and our designers put together two concept plans. We want the end product to be what our partners want.”
Nonetheless, each schoolyard must meet two conditions: First, provide play equipment and outdoor classrooms; and second, remain open after school and on weekends. “The first time you lock a schoolyard gate, you’re telling someone they’re not welcome,” Kelly says. “We don’t want to send that message. Instead of locking gates, it’s best when our partners actively use schoolyards for things like ballgames or yoga. With regular activity, we have fewer problems.”
The community-driven message also extends to maintenance, which is done by residents with barriers to employment, trained in horticulture by A Safe Haven, a Chicago nonprofit. Once the schoolyards are built, the work changes focus to providing trainings for teachers, parents and community members to maximize use of the new space. From food to art to nature studies, they want to see the schoolyards become a hub of health, equity and hope. This, in neighborhoods of color where school investments have long lagged behind those in white neighborhoods.
“We just started doing ribbon cuttings for new schoolyards,” Pereira says. “And I’ve had neighbors come by and say, ‘This is so beautiful! If this is where my tax dollars are going, then I’m all for it.’”