School garden design as catalyst for environmental education and community engagement: Los Angeles Unified School District case studies

2013-08-06This study examines the design characteristics of schoolyard gardens in the Los Angeles Unified School District and investigates whether such gardens can serve as mechanisms for community interaction and involvement. The published literature strongly establishes the significance gardens have in shaping the experience of children. Using a case study methodology to examine school gardens within the Los Angeles Unified School District, I explored how these projects began, the design elements, and ways the gardens are utilized. I analyzed how these schools have engaged with the local community to promote community involvement and have served as strategies for advancing sustainable greening measures within the school campus and at nearby schools. Additionally, I saw common design characteristics among the sites and developed the following list of observations: (1) size is not a limiting factor; (2) location and boundary transition treatment influences the type of interaction students have with the space; (3) raised planters are best for growing edibles; (4) gardens can be incorporated into the curriculum; (5) gardens can serve as a mechanism for increasing schoolyard greening within the school campus