Playgrounds at about 300 schools have been renovated, benefiting students but also addressing the climate crisis
Schoolyards are supposed to be somewhere kids want to play. But if your schoolyard is little more than an empty expanse of asphalt – merely boring when the weather is fine but mercilessly hot and unprotected when the mercury rises – then it becomes the opposite: a place kids want to avoid.
Not only does green space make the schools a happier place, it addresses inequality, because the schools in question often enroll lower-income students of color. It also makes them more resilient to the climate crisis, whether in the form of extreme heat or torrential rainfall.Piagentini and Jones education complex in the Bronx borough of New York City before the schoolyard transformation.Piagentini and Jones after the transformation.
In New York City, the largest school system in the country, more than 200 public schools have had a playground makeover. All of them serve a dual purpose as public parks after school, on weekends and during school holidays.Photograph: Courtesy of Trust for Public LandPhotograph: Courtesy of Trust for Public Land
“My favorite thing is the garden, because it’s so colorful with flowers around,” said Lewarly Vallejo Vasquez, a second grader at PS 377 Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier school in Brooklyn. Recalling the concrete schoolyard that was there before, Vallejo Vasquez says, ‘‘it was hard and painted one solid color.” Last year, TPL unveiled the renovated schoolyard with newly planted trees, a garden, turf ground, jungle gym, a gazebo and picnic tables with benches, among other amenities.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US says Ukraine will not use US-supplied rocket systems to hit Russian territoryWashington says it has assurances as Moscow warns supply risks ‘third country’ being drawn into war
Read more »
‘It means a lot to us’: Mall campers endure downpours for view of jubilee pageantryPeople from all over the world have set up tents near Buckingham Palace
Read more »
Seven boss wants streaming loophole closed as US giants vie for AFL rightsJames Warburton has urged the government to close a loophole in federal ‘anti-siphoning’ laws to prevent streaming services from capturing rights to sporting competitions such as the AFL.
Read more »
Will US rockets for Ukraine be a game-changer in the war against Russia?The United States has announced it is sending advanced missile systems to Ukraine, but the jury is out on whether they will be the game-changer hoped for in Kyiv's war with Russia.
Read more »
Petrol station king rides logistics boom with $41m sale to US PE firmPetrol station king Nick Andrianakos paid just $1.45m for the Campbellfield site in Melbourne’s north in 1993. He sold it to Cabot Propeties for $41m.
Read more »
US defence force to bring in Bubs Australia formulaThe White House has agreed to fly in Bubs Australia’s baby formula to Pennsylvania and California amid chronic shortages in the nation.
Read more »