Truth: Greening city schoolyards improves the health of our urban ecosystem and positively impacts the wellbeing of future generations. We are so proud that Chester A. Arthur School and Lea Elementary School were two of the 13 public schoolyards recognized as 2021 Stormwater Pioneers of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) by the Philadelphia Water Department. In the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, the Chester A. Arthur schoolyard has transformed a former asphalt lot into a thriving, green urban habitat that captures more than 28,000 gallons of stormwater through multiple bioretention areas and porous paving. The school landscape provides essential ecological services and creates hands-on learning opportunities for Philadelphia’s school children. Now more than ever, the challenge for our City is to find the bandwidth and the funding to transform every public schoolyard into a high-performance, healthy community hub.
GSI at Chester Arthur School. Image credit: Sahar Coston-Hardy
GSI Diagram for Chester Arthur.
Permeable pavers and swale at Lea School.