Trust for Public Land in Pennsylvania - 2021

The Trust for Public Land in Pennsylvania T HERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF

in 2021

A ND MORE TO LOOK FORWA RD TO IN T HE Y E A R A HE A D

The Trust for Public Land

Underway schoolyard Completed park or schoolyard Completed research

Pennsylvania / New Jersey border Parks and open space

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Anna L. James R. Lowell Lingelbach Elementary School School

Benjamin Franklin Academics Plus School

Hank Gathers William Dick Recreation Center School Conestoga Community Playground

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AMY Northwest Middle School Mary McLeod William Cramp Bethune Elementary School School Jose Manuel Collazo Playground North American Street

Alexander Adaire Alain ¤ 30 £ Elementary School Fishtown Locke Recreation Center School 37th & Mt. Vernon Add B. Playground 676 Anderson School 13 £ ¤ 76 Edwin M. Stanton

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John M. Patterson School

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School George W. Nebinger School

Lanier Playground

F. Amedee Bregy School

Southwark School Mifflin Square John H. Taggart School

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Parks for People - Philadelphia C O M P L E T E D A N D U N D E R W A Y S C H O O LY A R D S A N D P A R K S August 13, 2020. Copyright © The Trust for Public Land. The Trust for Public Land and The Trust for Public Land logo are federally registered marks of The Trust for Public Land.

Information on this map is provided for purposes of discussion and visualization only. www.tpl.org

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US IN PENNSYLVANIA! TPL STAFF

Heat Response

paired artists with residents in Grays Ferry, Southeast Philadelphia, and Fairhill to drive change through arts activism.

As a Trust for Public Land supporter, you are contributing to healthy, equitable, resilient communities.

In early 2020, when the pandemic first limited travel and inside gatherings, Pennsylvanians turned to nearby open spaces, rediscovering the ease and stress-free joys of walking, camping, and picnicking—first solo, and then again with family. But this mass movement outdoors was not enjoyed by everyone, as generations of inequality have left many people with limited access to highquality park space.

As our state recovers from COVID-19, equitable access to nature’s myriad benefits is more important than ever. Now is the time to champion the pivotal role of parks in addressing inequities and ensure that the healing power of nature is available to all.

The Trust for Public Land is committed to advancing equity, health, and climate resilience through nature in every community we serve.

Since 1972, we have created more than 5,000 parks and green spaces, safeguarded more than 3.7 million acres, put a park within a 10-minute walk of home for more than 9 million people, and generated more than $85 billion in public funding for parks, trails, and open spaces.

In Pennsylvania, we collaborated with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and mayors to encourage their support for the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act, a one-time $500 million investment in local parks to address access equity in urban communities.

In Pittsburgh, we launched a new partnership to steward the city’s network of trails better. And in Philadelphia, we look forward to opening our next two Community Schoolyards™ this fall.

Thank you for creating happier, healthier neighborhoods where all people can thrive!

COMMUNITY SCHOOLYARDS™ Schoolyards across the state—especially in dense, urban areas—often have extensive paving, creating hot and unwelcoming conditions that carry polluted runoff into local watersheds.

Exacerbated by a lack of trees and shade, conventional urban schoolyards contribute to the urban heat island effect and directly impact the health of vulnerable, nearby populations.

Green, healthy schoolyards maximize health, wellness, and community and environmental benefits while improving learning and quality of life for students and nearby residents. And studies show that spending time in nature can reduce stress, anger, and aggression and boost communication and relationship skills.

We transform schoolyards in communities that stand to benefit the most. We target our work using our award-winning GIS mapping technology to identify places that suffer from long-running and systemic underinvestment in green, healthy open spaces.

COMPLETED IN FALL 2021

AMY Northwest Middle School During our extensive participatory design process, students at AMY Northwest had a unique opportunity to develop science, technology, engineering, arts, and math skills through studying and designing the schoolyard. We are proud to say that through our partnership, we will be creating Philadelphia’s first ninja-warrior-style obstacle course in a public school.

James R. Lowell Elementary School The students at Lowell and residents of the Olney community in Northeast Philadelphia reimagined the schoolyard to be a colorful space reflecting the diversity in the neighborhood where all are welcome to play, learn, move, and connect with nature and each other. Before this community schoolyard transformation, Lowell was among the two-thirds of Philadelphia school district elementary schools that do not have playgrounds.

JENNA STAMM

Patterson Elementary School

West Philadelphia, PA

JENNA STAMM

E.M. Stanton Elementary School South Philadelphia, PA

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN Every community schoolyard we create is designed by the community, for the community.

Through our signature participatory design process, students and residents create fun, vibrant play spaces unique to their needs.

Students lead the playground design: evaluating the site, listening to students and community members, building models, sketching ideas, and refining design options into a final concept design. Our process is fun and educational, reinforcing lessons in math, science, reading, technology, art, and geography. Students also gain valuable experience in team building, problem-solving, and critical thinking as they design their schoolyards.

Our public engagement efforts extend off-campus and into the community, reaching neighbors who will use the new schoolyard parks. Parents, educators, business leaders, and residents join community-led steering committees and take a central role in honing the final design of their local playground. Our community-driven planning sessions result in schoolyards that feature exciting amenities like outdoor classrooms, pollinator gardens, stormwater capture, traditional play equipment, natural play areas, edible gardens, trails, shady trees, and native plants.

During the 2020-21 school year, we completed participatory design at Alain Locke School and Mary McLeod Bethune School. Both schoolyards are slated to open in fall 2022.

THE EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES FUND We are excited that students returning to their campus for the 2021–22 school year can look forward to breaking ground on their new, high-quality green space to help rectify this pronounced inequity. The renovated schoolyard will be a beautiful, green, and playful learning space for the entire Cobbs Creek community to enjoy for generations to come.

COVID-19 has proven the importance of parks and open spaces to our quality of life. But 100 million people, including 28 million kids, do not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. The Trust for Public Land believes that when there is equal access to nature, communities will be stronger, healthier, more livable, and more connected.

We launched the Equitable Communities Fund (ECF) to energize the efforts of disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities nationwide who need resources, capacity, and financial support to accelerate the creation of parks and open space.

TPL STAFF

Thanks to ECF donors, we awarded $200,000 to seven Trust for Public Land on-the-ground projects to advance toward shovel-ready status. We are thrilled to announce Add B. Anderson Elementary School in Philadelphia was awarded $50,000, the last influx of funding needed to fully realize the schoolyard transformation.

The new community schoolyard will increase the neighborhood tree canopy to decrease the urban heat island effect and prevent local flooding with its permeable pavers and turf field.

ANDERSON SCHOOLYARD The Cobbs Creek neighborhood—where Anderson Elementary School is located—is a predominately Black, densely populated community. Over half of the households make less than $35,000.

Cobbs Creek residents know what inequality looks like and how it feels.

The nearby wealthier, tree-lined University City district has high-quality playgrounds, running fields, and other amenities, while the paved schoolyard at Anderson School regularly floods and increases heat in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood.

George W. Nebinger Elementary Philadelphia, PA

LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE ALEX JACKSON

We believe that the health of land and people are inextricably linked. Using data analytics, innovative planning technology, and deep engagement, The Trust for Public Land works alongside communities to identify where parks and public land are most needed—and then we make that vision a reality.

FEDERAL CONSERVATION FUNDS In addition to inspiring more than a dozen Pennsylvania mayors to join our coalition supporting the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act, we are identifying additional federal funding sources aligned with the state’s conservation and recreation priorities. Once this analysis is complete, we will pursue projects of our own to further community objectives that improve health, expand equity, and increase climate resilience. We will also disseminate our findings to stakeholders for their own implementation and study.

PENNSYLVANIA COMMUNITY SCHOOLYARDS™ Our Community Schoolyards’ impact continues to rally participation and interest across the Commonwealth. We are inspiring municipal and school district leaders to reimagine existing schoolyards as centers for community cohesion, public health, and climate resilience.

In fact, we convened Pottstown area officials to catalyze new public access for high-quality green spaces in partnership with the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation and the Tri County Community Network.

PITTSBURGH GREENWAY STEWARDSHIP We partnered with the City of Pittsburgh to support the new Greenway Stewardship Program. Starting with the Hazelwood Greenway, community groups like the Hazelwood Initiative, Inc. and the Hazelwood Greenway Stewardship Group will work alongside the city to increase accessibility and restore the trail, laying the groundwork for the future stewardship of the other 12 trails in the city.

Donate today to support our work The generosity of individuals like you makes our work possible.

• The Trust for Public Land: Support our land-for-people mission

• Pennsylvania Program: Advance our work throughout the state

• Philadelphia Community Schoolyards: Increase safe, outdoor spaces for students

BACK COVER: RICHARD FREEDA • FRONT COVER: JENNA STAMM (1, 3) AND TPL STAFF (2, 4, 5).

Thank you for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Pennsylvania and beyond.

We couldn’t do this without you.

Join us Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you.

tpl.org/donate

Owen Franklin Pennsylvania State Director 215.240.7685 | owen.franklin@tpl.org Samantha Piccolo Director of Philanthropy 215.873.1429 | samantha.piccolo@tpl.org 1608 Walnut Street, Suite 302 Philadelphia, PA 19103