Playgrounds Could Provide Much-Needed Public Space

Adele Peters reports on a program that helps open up school playgrounds to surrounding communities, particularly in areas where residents do not have easy access to parks and open space.

"The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that helps schools and cities create 'shared-use' agreements for playground space, calculated that if all schoolyards in the U.S. were opened to the public during nonschool hours, nearly 20 million Americans who don’t currently live near parks would suddenly be a short walk from one," writes Peters.

The arrangements provide additional benefits, notes Peters. The schoolyards often get more greenery and trees, and the increase in green space can help urban areas deal with the heat island effect that results from climate change.