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Esther Margulies, PI
Los Angeles Unified School District, LA Department of Recreation + Parks
with all MLA+U students
Fall 2019

LAUSD School Parks plan as climate change resilience strategy

In Fall 2019, for the program’s annual “Community-based Vertical Workshop,” a collaborative opportunity for students to contribute meaningful service to the local community, students worked with LAUSD and LA Recreation and Parks to generate prototypical designs for joint use schoolyard-community parks in areas deemed “park poor.” Through an intensive and hands-on process, students undertook this part of the mayor’s Green New Deal, while addressing a UTLA strike settlement requirement to create a greening plan for LAUSD elementary school campuses.

An ongoing goal in the Office of the Los Angeles Mayor is to increase residents’ access to parks within a half-mile radius, or a 10-minute walk, of their homes. Approximately 61 percent of residents are within this distance from a green space, with a goal of increasing this population to 75 percent by 2035. As part of the City’s goal, the Recreation and Parks Department is drafting a master agreement for joint-use facilities, including parks, and applying for grant funds to implement campus greening projects on LAUSD campuses. Students generated prototype designs that included methods to transform flat asphalt play areas into welcoming, attractive community resources that would offer stormwater capture and cleaning performance, extreme heat reduction, increased biodiversity, improved mental and physical health outcomes, and the potential for improved learning outcomes. The campus analysis, completed by the students—including measurements of ground surface temperature—has identified urgent issues for further study. These issues include the potential loss of school recreation resources when temperatures climb over 90 degrees, which is predicted to become more common, especially during traditional school hours.

LAUSD Partners:

Albert Grazioli, Facilities Asset Development Director, LAUSD 

Kristztina Tokes, Deputy Chief Facilities, LAUSD

Principals at Harvard and 75th St. Elementary, Bethune Middle School

 

LA Rec + Parks Partners:

Mike Shull, RAP General Manager

Joseph Halper, RAP Commissioner

Vicki Israel, RAP Assistant General Manager  

Darryl Ford, RAP Acting Planning Superintendent

Matthew Rudnick, RAP Chief Management Analyst

Craig Raines, RAP Landscape Architect

Deanne Dedmon, RAP Principal Recreation Supervisor

 

With:

Zachia Nazarzai, Associate Director, Neighborhood Services, City of LA