The concept of the Oasis Schoolyards project arose from workshops held to develop a Resilience Strategy for Paris in 2017. Schoolyards were identified as areas within the city that could provide opportunities to strengthen urban resilience. In line with the Paris Resilience Strategy, the project aims to protect the city’s most vulnerable groups and increase social connection by building inclusive and cohesive communities, adapt the city’s infrastructure to combat the effects of climate change and develop participatory decision-making processes.         

The objectives of the project are:

1. Create cool islands, as a climate change adaptation solution for the city.
2.  Re-design and re-organize schoolyards to better match the needs and ideas expressed by their users.
3. Introduce a sustainable design model for public spaces
4. Implement actions to strengthen the social cohesion of neighborhoods by encouraging residents of all ages to use schoolyards as meeting and social spaces during weekends.

In line with the targets set by the EU Adaptation Policy, the City of Paris has developed the following complementary strategic plans that include short, medium and long-term solutions:

• Paris Climate Adaptation Strategy (2015),
• Paris Resilient Strategy (2017),
• Paris Biodiversity Plan (2018).

The OASIS Schoolyards project fulfills the broader vision of the above strategies. Moreover, recognising the UN Children’s Rights Convention (Article 12) the OASIS schoolyards are co-designed with children to accommodate their aspirations.

The Oasis Schoolyards project is providing many outcomes in innovation. Various social groups are engaged in different stages of the project development aiming to generate social innovation. The re-purposing of schoolyards has led to planning innovations: integration of more nature into the schoolyard area, low tech rainwater management solutions and play areas that foster imaginative play. The project is transforming the use of schoolyards by encouraging outdoor learning, and social cohesion activities when they are opened on weekends.

The OASIS approach provides a 2-level participatory process for the placemaking plan of schoolyards.

1) Children are engaged to co-design their schoolyards to ensure that their needs and aspirations are accommodated in their everyday outdoor space.

2) A 3-step community engagement process has been developed to engage and empower the local community to participate in decisions regarding the use and activities that can take place after-school hours, when the schoolyards are open to the local community.

During the implementation of the project, every process that is developed is being documented into a tool, method, training module or best practice. A new tool “Library of technical solutions” emerged from the co-design activities and training and awareness-raising sessions as a manual for participatory design through urban resilience. The tool is currently under final review and aims to function as a manual for other cities to replicate the OASIS approach in schoolyard transformation.

Currently, more processes are being tested in terms of environmental and social monitoring and evaluation. The project follows an iterative process from planning to evaluation monitoring and reflective workshops.

The project is implemented by the City of Paris, in the framework of the Urban Innovative Actions initiative. A consortium of partners was established, which includes two NGOs (CAUE and La Ligue de l'enseignement), the public organization Météo-France, and 2 research laboratories.  Throughout the project, these partners conduct training sessions, awareness workshops, co-designing activities, and assessment.

The City of Paris is the lead agency for the project and provide financing with subsidies from the State and a public Rainwater Management Agency. The European Regional Development Fund is supporting the Oasis project, co-funding the transformation of ten pilot schoolyards. The City of Paris and the partner organisations are also dedicating human and technical resources  as well as pedagogical expertise for the project’s implementation. In 2018, the Oasis project was selected to receive funding from the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative to further explore the multiple benefits of its scope.

A climate diagnosis is conducted to evaluate the reduction of the UHI effect and the level of summer comfort by analysing and comparing measurements before/after the transformation of the schoolyards. In addition, simulations (meteorological models) and biodiversity measurements are conducted to identify the climatic impact of the transformations. Moreover, an assessment of social indicators is being analysed by observations and user interviews before and after the schoolyard transformation, focusing on all aspects of inclusiveness.

The new uses of schoolyards and their transformation into cool islands will benefit the students attending the schools involved, as well as the educational communities around them: parents, teachers, administrations staff, extra-curricular activity teams, cleaners, caretakers (200 to 400 people per school). The vision of the City of Paris is to transform all 770 public schoolyards into OASIS Schoolyards by 2040.

The changes in terms of “what should a schoolyard look like” and “what should be done in a schoolyard” are raising some challenges amongst the residents and stakeholders.

1) Engineers must adapt their practices and advance their knowledge and skills in the construction of nature-based solutions.

2) Teachers must embrace a new way of teaching that combines experiential with academic learning and leverage the opportunity of the newly designed spaces for outdoor learning.

3) Parents must accept that learning through risk is positive for their children and become used to the benefits from a new public space (the schoolyard) that is open to all residents during the weekends.

The Oasis project provides trainings sessions, participatory workshops and co-design activities to communities to support the changes.

This project represents a new way to transform and adapt the city to climate change. The foundation of the OASIS approach is the users’ participation throughout every step of the project, from designing to programming and managing the schoolyard. In line with the Climate Plan, the project benefits from previous initiatives of nature-based solutions, rainwater management, urban cooling solutions etc. What is unique is to implement these solutions in a schoolyard environment, and the opportunities these new spaces are providing for children, teachers and local communities.

The City of Paris aims to provide leadership in cross-sectoral and multi-level approaches to shaping more sustainable and resilient cities. Cities around the globe are seeking adaptable solutions that will tackle, simultaneously, complex urban challenges aiming to improve citizen wellbeing and quality of life. In general, schools everywhere are likely to have similar characteristics such as:

(1) located in every neighborhood,

(2) an outdoor space,

(3) an active community (educational) built around them.

Therefore, the OASIS project has the potential to become a transferable strategy and solution for other cities. By leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from the OASIS pilots, the City of Paris is creating a toolkit for other cities to help them create their network of neighbourhood oases.

https://www.paris.fr/pages/les-cours-oasis-7389/