Pennsylvania

Today, the historic Fishtown neighborhood is emerging as a hub for contemporary arts, food, and music, and the school is working with The Trust for Public Land to transform its rundown asphalt schoolyard into a vibrant place for outdoor play and learning.

In the Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood of Roxborough, students at AMY Northwest Middle School have been working with The Trust for Public Land to design their new schoolyard. The .89 acre schoolyard is a barren, uneven, expanse of asphalt that is partially used as a parking lot by teachers and community members. Recognizing the opportunity a schoolyard transformation offered students, teachers, and neighbors, Principal Jodan Floyd was excited for the work to begin. Floyd, 2018 recipient of the Lindback Distinguished Principal Award, selected 27 students from grades 6 - 8 to be part of the participatory design process that will form a vibrant, green play and learning space at the school.

The Trust for Public Land will work with students and residents in the community to transform this playground in West Philadelphia  with new playground equipment, an improved recreation field, and stormwater management features.

The Trust for Public Land is now leading the transformation of the current asphalt schoolyard into a stimulating green play space that will combine interactive learning with environmental sustainability.

The students at George W. Nebinger Elementary School in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Philadelphia now have a new schoolyard! This South Philly school is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, in a dense residential area that used to lack adequate green spaces for children to play in.

There is no question that our climate is warming. Extreme heat in American cities now causes more deaths than all other weather events combined. People are calling on cities to plant more trees in their neighborhoods and install splash pads where families can cool off, but all neighborhoods are not treated equally. Low-income communities have seen a disproportionately low share of parks and open space investment putting entire neighborhoods at greater risk of rising temperatures.

The The Trust for Public Land is helping transform this asphalt schoolyard into a vibrant play space that will also mitigate storm runoff.

More than 11,000 Philadelphians live within a 10-minute walk of Lanier Playground, a 4-acre city park that The Trust for Public Land helped rebuild in 2018.

To address the need for green space in Philadelphia's underserved neighborhoods, we've launched the Parks for People-Philadelphia.

The Southwark School in South Philadelphia has recently been named among Philadelphia’s first Community Schools, and we are thrilled to help the school become an anchor institution for neighborhood families.

Student Avery Anthony describes the schoolyard at William Cramp Elementary School in North Philadelphia like this: “Our site is plain ground. All we do is talk and run. It gets boring and there are no games.”