Chicago opens green infrastructure schoolyard
Last week, Chicago officials and partners of the Space to Grow partnership officially unveiled a new schoolyard renovation that incorporates green stormwater infrastructure in its design.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago joined Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez and Space to Grow partners to celebrate the completion of the new schoolyard at Horace Mann Elementary School, in a South Chicago neighborhood earlier this month.
Space to Grow is a partnership that aims to renovate Chicago schoolyards into vibrant community spaces. The spaces often also address neighborhood flooding issues by using design elements to capture stormwater.
“We are thrilled that, in addition to all of what is below the ground, that these talented students now have a beautiful space to play above ground,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “Thank you to all of the partners and the entire school community that helped build and will maintain this beautiful space.”
Mann’s schoolyard can now hold 271,203 gallons of stormwater per rain event and includes: an artificial turf field, porous playground surfacing, two large rain gardens, a nature-play area and an outdoor classroom with permeable pavers. The campus renovation reduces basement backups, reduces the load on the area’s combined sewer system and educates students and neighbors about green infrastructure techniques and purpose.
“As a former CPS student who attended neighborhood schools, I truly understand what this beautiful new outdoor space at Horace Mann will mean for student learning and the entire community,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.
“The green schoolyard at Horace Mann will incorporate landscape features that capture a significant amount of rainfall, helping keep our water resources clean and resulting in less neighborhood flooding,” said MWRD Commissioner Du Buclet. “We thank our Space to Grow partners for their commitment to educating our students and protecting our water environment.”
Space to Grow has now completed 27 schoolyards, with three more set to be completed in the fall. These 30 schoolyards bring the grand total of storage volume to 5.6 million gallons per rain event, equal to 8.4 Olympic-size pools or 111,108 bathtubs per rain event.
