WATCH: Greening schools to combat the Paris urban heat island

The potential for schoolyards to become transformative spaces helping cities get ‘climate ready’ has been highlighted in a new webinar.

Part of an ongoing series by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), in association with Worshipful Company of Gardeners (WCoG) and Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, the latest instalment looks at how land outside schools can be instrumental in improving urban environmental conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, reducing the urban heat island effect.

‘The experiences we offer school-age children are going to be vital in driving the behaviour change that is absolutely necessary to meet climate change goals,’ said Dominic Register, Director of Education and Director of the Center for Education Transformation at Salzburg Global Seminar.

‘In Paris, we consider changing the schoolyards is a societal issue,” Raphaëlle Thiollier, Project Manager for the City of Paris, France, said. ‘We need to choose what sort of environment we want our children to be in. Children spend three hours a day in the schoolyard and it is important that this time is useful for their development.’

The French capital recently won the AIPH World Green City Awards ‘Living Green For Social Cohesion’ category for its Oasis Schoolyards Project. The work involved renewing and greening existing urban playgrounds. Children were consulted at the beginning of the initiative, and asked what they would like from their schoolyard environment.

Find out what they said, and the impact of introducing more greenery on the city overall, in the video case study below. The next edition in the AIPH Green City Briefing will take place on 11th April 2023, and focus on ‘Living Green for Biodiversity’. 

Image: Chris Karidis