good news LEAPS AND BOUNDS
Crossing the playground on a rainy day at William Dick Elementary was no walk in the park: students navigated crumbling asphalt and standing water—including one notorious puddle so large that kids called it “the pond.” As part of our Parks for People–Philadelphia program, The Trust
for Public Land worked with the city and school to help fix the flood- ing and reclaim the students’ recess spot. When the new playground opened this summer, the community celebrated its total transforma- tion from plain pavement to a place to play kickball, gather under shade trees, or count butterflies in the rain garden. “It was a barren area that has come to life with greenery that’s not common in an inner-city playground,” Principal Amy Williams told the Daily News. “It’s something for our entire community.” The school is the first of ten sites we’re reimagining in partnership
with the City of Philadelphia’s Green2015 Initiative—which aims to add 500 acres of public green space by 2015.
For kids, by kids
Nobody knows playgrounds better than the kids who use them. At William Dick Elementary, we guided sixth, seventh, and eighth graders through a step-by-step participatory design process.
week 1: Memory maps—analyzing the play- ground to find out which parts get the most use week 2: Measurements—studying scale, orientation, and dimensions week 3: Sun and shade—identifying the best spots to plant trees or grow a garden week 4: The water cycle—exploring an urban neighborhood’s role in the watershed week 5: Green infrastructure—learning how good designs can capture and use rainwater week 6: Inspiration—taking a field trip to a finished playground week 7: Brainstorms—listing favorite features and writing a survey for the whole school week 8: Design—working with landscape architects to create a new playground layout week 9: Equipment—choosing play structures and where to put them week 10: Presentation—reviewing and sharing the final design
22 · LAND&PEOPLE · FALL/WINTER 2014
jenna stamm
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