Chittick Elementary Community Schoolyard

The Hyde Park neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, has one of the city’s largest park equity gaps. In a city where space is at a premium, Trust for Public Land seeks innovative solutions to maximize green space and connect more people to the benefits of nature. The answer is hiding in plain sight: Community Schoolyards®.

By transforming asphalt lots into vibrant green spaces, these Community Schoolyards® provide students with room to play, neighbors with spaces to gather, and entire neighborhoods with features that stay cool during the hottest summers. Open to the public after school hours, these spaces are designed with student and community needs at their core.

At Chittick Elementary School, we worked with students, teachers, administrators, and the surrounding community to turn their uninspiring playground into one of these neighborhood treasures. The old yard—two well-loved playsets surrounded by hot asphalt—has been completely reimagined. Through our participatory design process, students helped create the playground of their dreams, reflecting the school’s belief in empowering all students to believe and achieve.

Now complete, the Chittick Elementary Schoolyard serves over 200 students and 6,300 residents who live within a 10-minute walk, providing everyone access to the transformative benefits of the outdoors. This vibrant green space is a testament to what’s possible when communities come together to create parks for all.