{"id":37230,"date":"2025-08-08T15:46:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T13:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=37230"},"modified":"2025-08-08T15:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T13:47:14","slug":"green-schoolyards-key-to-urban-resilience-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/08\/08\/green-schoolyards-key-to-urban-resilience-to-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Schoolyards: The Key to Urban Resilience to Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cities around the world are facing growing challenges brought about by <strong>climate change<\/strong>, frequent heat waves and increasing pollution. In response to these problems, there is an increasing push for <strong>natural solutions (NbS)<\/strong>that use natural systems to address urban<!--more--> environmental problems. One such flagship program is <strong>greening of schoolyards<\/strong>, such as the extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42949-025-00252-6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">OASIS program<\/span><\/a> in Paris, which aims to reintroduce nature into the urban environment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Schoolyards as key places for climate mitigation<\/strong> The original intention of the OASIS project in Paris was not primarily to create large green spaces, but rather to design &quot;climate shelters&quot; for <strong>mitigating the urban heat island effect<\/strong>In this context, greening schoolyards plays a key role in creating local &quot;cool islands&quot; that help mitigate extreme heat.<\/p>\n<p>The visit of the Paris teams to Brussels brought a significant shift in approach, with an emphasis on \u201cbringing nature back to the city\u201d and reconnecting children with their natural environment. It was found that <strong>replacing impermeable asphalt with permeable materials<\/strong> and plants not only improves the environment, but is also more cost-effective. As a result, from 2020 the project is putting <strong>greater emphasis on vegetation and biodiversity<\/strong>This change has contributed to temperature regulation and improved the overall resilience of urban areas to climate challenges.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Broader benefits and building resilience through nature<\/strong> In addition to their direct impact on the climate, green schoolyards also bring other important benefits that strengthen the resilience of cities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Biodiversity:<\/strong> Although biodiversity has not always been a primary goal, studies have confirmed that green schoolyards <strong>hosts diverse arthropod communities<\/strong>, comparable to those in larger urban green spaces. These small habitats contribute to ecological connectivity and are crucial for ecosystem health, which is essential for long-term climate resilience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Connecting humans with nature:<\/strong> Introducing nature into schoolyards changes the way they are used. It supports a variety of activities \u2013 from free play to creative and environmental education \u2013 that <strong>strengthen children&#039;s connection with nature<\/strong>This deeper interaction can influence broader societal perceptions of nature and lead to wider adoption of natural solutions, thereby supporting long-term climate action.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Well-being and justice:<\/strong> Green spaces make a significant contribution to public health <strong>by promoting physical activity, improving psychological well-being and increasing overall quality of life<\/strong>. Child well-being is a central argument for these transformations, including within the broader context of climate change. Equity is also key \u2013 ensuring that all school communities, especially marginalized ones, benefit equally from this green infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Obstacles and challenges in implementing natural solutions<\/strong> Despite all the benefits, there are significant barriers that prevent the full potential of green schoolyards:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Management and long-term administration:<\/strong> Success depends on significant changes in urban governance and long-term management. Communication between different services is often difficult and staff shortages hinder effective supervision and management of projects. Insufficient vegetation planning is also a problem, as administrative and teaching staff often lack the necessary expertise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stakeholder engagement:<\/strong> While participatory processes are important for engaging local actors, they often fail to reach their full potential due to power imbalances. Success depends on the ability of different actors (children, teachers, parents, administrators) to adapt their practices and coordinate efforts, despite sometimes conflicting interests.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety concerns:<\/strong> School staff often assess the potential risks associated with creating schoolyard \u201coases,\u201d such as concerns about injuries from vegetation or falls on uneven terrain. These concerns can prevent children from fully engaging in interactions with natural elements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public access:<\/strong> Despite the potential to open schoolyards to the public during heat waves, schools are often perceived as a safety risk, which hinders their use as shelters for the wider community.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sustainability of initiatives:<\/strong> The long-term sustainability of projects depends on the personal commitment of adults, which is inconsistent and requires a broader socio-economic and political framework of support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Greening schoolyards represents <strong>a transformative opportunity for the socio-ecological transformation of urban areas<\/strong> and strengthening their resilience to climate change. To fully exploit their potential, it is essential to strengthen support for collective engagement programmes, ensure equitable governance and participatory design, and continuously evaluate the benefits for children and school staff. Only through <strong>interdisciplinary approach and ongoing commitment<\/strong> Can green schoolyards really contribute to a fairer and more sustainable future in a climate-changing world? <em><strong>JRi<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cities around the world are facing growing challenges from climate change, frequent heat waves and rising pollution. In response to these problems, nature-based solutions (NbS), which use natural systems to address urban problems, are increasingly being promoted.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodiverzita","category-klimaticka-zmena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37230\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}