Green and Healthy Schoolyards: Transforming from Asphalt to Outdoor Classrooms, Safe Play, and Stormwater Management

College of the Arts & Architecture, Esswein, Carolyn, Mentor, Poster Presentation, School and College, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, Smolen, Spencer, Student, Urban Planning

Spencer Smolen, “Green and Healthy Schoolyards: Transforming from Asphalt to Outdoor Classrooms, Safe Play, and Stormwater Management”
Mentor: Carolyn Esswein, Urban Planning
Poster #186

The objective of this initiative is to partner with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to diminish the extensive areas of impermeable asphalt within their school grounds. This endeavor aims to enhance stormwater management practices while fostering a safer and more conducive environment for both play and learning among schoolchildren. The collaborative efforts of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) personnel with MPS educators, administrators, and students facilitate the collection of valuable insights regarding schoolyard design approaches. Data collection methods encompassed polls, sketches, and questionnaires, culminating in the creation of perspective drawings illustrating proposed schoolyard enhancements. These enhancements are envisioned to accommodate students, teachers, and the broader community, delineating how they will utilize the revamped spaces and programming areas. Integration of new green infrastructure techniques, such as bioswales and permeable materials, is poised to mitigate stormwater runoff. The redesigned schoolyards incorporate interactive outdoor classrooms, seating and gathering zones, as well as diverse recreational amenities, catering to students across different age groups. While this project has been replicated across more than 40 MPS schools, meticulous attention is paid to each school’s unique requisites, thereby augmenting environmental sustainability, fostering positive student behavior, and enriching the learning curriculum. Noteworthy outcomes include the removal of over 10 football fields’ worth of asphalt and the annual capture of more than 36 million gallons of rainwater through green infrastructure. Furthermore, the planting of over 3,000 trees has significantly mitigated the urban heat island effect in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, thus contributing to the overall health and well-being of the community.