My Purple Crayon

In the City of Vancouver, most public elementary schoolyards have a large open gravel field. While the gravel field provides a low maintenance cost solution for schoolyards, it is limited to sporting uses and provides little ecological value. The emptiness and limited use of the fields present an opportunity for redesign: an opportunity to include a diversity of natural spaces that offer space for sports, learning, and other play activities. My Purple Crayon seeks to re-envision Vancouver schoolyards as key spaces for fostering a connection to nature through play and outdoor learning. Challenging typical design methods, the project proposes a field-based and participatory design process that allows students to inform the landscape based on their actions. The project tests this design process using the gravel field of my elementary school, General Wolfe, theorizing a future where schoolyards are multifunctional, biodiverse and gender inclusive.