BISCAYNE BEACH COMMUNITY SCHOOLYARD
Process
Trust for Public Land (TPL) firmly believes that the best parks designed for a community are designed BY the community. The process tailored by TPL to develop Community Schoolyard designs for Biscayne Beach Elementary School was based on feedback from representatives of the School, Miami-Dade County School District, and the City. Beginning in Summer of 2024, TPL worked with the School community to imagine and identify the desired improvements for a western section of the existing campus so that it may be better utilized as a shared public space after school hours.
āThe shared ownership, purpose, and use for this space is defined under a Joint Use Agreement between the City of Miami Beach (City) and the Miami-Dade County School District dated September 20, 2001. The Joint Use Agreement describes the purpose of the property and associated agreement as a space to provide recreational programs, activities, and facilities for the use and benefit of the students at the school and the residents of the City of Miami Beach.
āāAt the beginning of the TPL's scope for the project, TPL began collecting information about the surrounding community and the project’s impact area using TPL’s internal Geographic Information Mapping system. A summary of findings can be found HERE. The impact area is based upon a 10-minute walk from the project site. TPL bases all of its park projects upon how many individuals have access to a park within a 10-minute walk of their home. This information allowed the team to understand the number of residents in the defined area and its demographics.
This website was created to describe the background and purpose of the project. An online survey was offered in English and Spanish to collect feedback from the school and residents of the community. City staff was responsible for promoting the website and survey within the community. The survey was open for several months.
At the beginning of the schoolyear, School leadership selected a core group of students to be the ambassadors for the project within the school. They were referred to as the Biscayne Beach Schoolyard Design Team. The thirty students chosen for the Design Team were selected based on their involvement in the School’s afterschool program and their interest in the project.
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TPL staff facilitated two in-person workshops with the Design Team. Three sessions were originally scheduled. However, due to Hurricane Helene, the three one and a half hour sessions were condensed into two two-hour sessions. The agenda for the first session on October 23, 2024 was a kick-off event for the project and was attended by representatives from the School, District, and City. Students learned from TPL, City, and District staff about careers in sustainability and park design. Students shared their ideas for the Schoolyard and brainstormed a wish list for the space.
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The second workshop occurred on November 21, 2024. This activity was focused on developing designs for the site. Design Team students were organized into groups of four to five individuals and led by a representative from the School or City to provide guidance. Each group was tasked with responding to survey results and a budgeting worksheet to create a Schoolyard design concept. Students used play money to visualize the value of each element as they reviewed a catalog of Schoolyard elements to consider. Each Design Team aimed to make informed decisions about the recreational elements most appropriate for the space. The design process used scaled aerials of the site and templates of the elements featured in the catalog. The template pieces were used to delineate the proposed locations of the site elements. After their concepts were finalized, each of the six teams had a chance to present their ideas to the other groups. Each of the concepts were photographed.
Upon selection, Design Team members began working with the school’s assistant principal and STEAM faculty to discuss ideas and draft park designs before their first meeting with TPL staff. Design Team members documented their ideas with hand drawn concepts and by utilizing online AI software. The team also created a video montage that showed their excitement for the Schoolyard project.
Also discussed was the importance of community park space and the multiple benefits that a park can provide. Led by TPL staff, students moved outside to do a site analysis of the site and recorded their observations about the site’s existing conditions. They considered, discussed, and documented a variety of conditions including shade considerations, existing site drainage, and sound. The students recorded measurements of the site utilizing tape measures and measuring wheels. Students were encouraged to think about and discuss the project with their friends and family in order to be prepared for the next workshop.
The concepts created by the students informed the final schematic concepts developed by TPL and can be found HERE. Designs will be used to inform the next step in the Schoolyard’s design evolution which is to have the selected design engineered and documented for eventual construction permitting by a professional design firm.
The overall project has been a collaborative effort between the community, School, District, the City and TPL.
The project aligns with the purpose of the Joint Use Agreement to utilize a shared space and as importantly it aligns with Biscayne Beach’s mission and vision. Biscayne Beach Elementary’ s mission is to, “provide students with an educational experience that will empower them to make a positive contribution to our global society.” While the School's vision to educate the whole community of learners and their commitment to empowering and uniting the community by providing opportunities and experiences that foster problem solving and critical thinking. And the school’s commitment to preparing each member of the community to successfully meet the challenges of tomorrow.
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