Greening the Schoolyards: Transforming LAUSD into an Oasis of Resilience
The Challenge
Concrete jungles where playgrounds should be. Schoolyards that turn into urban heat islands, baking 6 degrees hotter than their surroundings. Campuses that flood with the slightest rain, while the region thirsts for water. This is the reality facing the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the largest landowner in Los Angeles County.
Our Approach
Craftwater, in partnership with TreePeople, is turning the page on traditional schoolyard design:
Custom Green Makeovers: We're crafting conceptual designs for ten K-12 school campuses, each tailored to its unique environment and needs.
Stormwater as a Resource: Our designs aim to capture hundreds of acre-feet of stormwater runoff, turning a flooding problem into a water supply solution.
Climate Resilience in Action: By integrating green stormwater infrastructure and expanding tree canopy, we're combating the urban heat island effect and improving air quality.
Student Welfare First: Every design element is considered through the lens of student well-being, creating healthier, more engaging learning environments.
Regional Impact: While focusing on individual schools, we're keeping an eye on the bigger picture, ensuring these projects contribute to regional water quality improvement.
Scalable Solutions: We're distilling site-specific findings into a programmatic roadmap, creating a template for school greening that can be rolled out across the district.
Key Takeaways
Multifunctional Spaces: Demonstrating how schoolyards can serve educational, environmental, and community needs simultaneously.
Nature-Based Solutions: Showcasing the power of green infrastructure in urban climate adaptation.
Water-Wise Design: Illustrating how smart design can turn stormwater from a hazard into a resource.
Scalable Impact: Proving that site-specific solutions can be translated into district-wide change.
Health and Learning: Highlighting the connection between green spaces and student well-being.
Community Resilience: Showing how school campuses can become hubs of climate resilience for entire neighborhoods.
In partnership with TreePeople, we’re cultivating a greener, more resilient future for Los Angeles, one schoolyard at a time.