<p dir="ltr">Existing literature suggests that having gardens and trees in schoolyards has proven to be positive for student health. Tree canopies in schoolyards provide shade, mitigate urban heat island effects, reduce air, and noise pollution, and even improve mental well-being. Edible schoolyards can enhance children’s hands-on learning experience, foster stronger environmental stewardship, offer fresh food opportunities, and help develop healthier eating habits. However, the implementation of green and edible schoolyards in Indiana remains relatively low. This thesis aims to explore the current tree canopy and garden coverage within the school grounds to understand how these green spaces correlate with demographic factors such as race, income, and population density, aiming to identify potential inequities in the school environment creation. Moreover, it gathers green feature coverage data and staff perspectives to further investigate the potential of expanding different edible green features in schoolyards of the Indianapolis region.</p><p dir="ltr">This study included 167 public schoolyards in the research process. Geospatial data analytic and social science methods were utilized in this research. First, ArcGIS was used to analyze the spatial distribution pattern of school Tree Canopy Coverage (TCC) and garden existence. We also examined the relationships between TCC and garden existences to other demographic factors using R language to understand impact criteria and summarize future hurdles and opportunities. In the second method, online surveys were distributed to the same schools to understand the attitudes of school staff towards edible schoolyards. Some preliminary challenges were identified with the 35 responses collected, including funding mechanisms, collaboration limitations, and lack of integration into curriculums to allow valuable education. This research concludes with 2 case studies to represent two common typologies of schoolyards in Indianapolis, using interviews to gain a deeper understanding of further concerns and future working directions for green schoolyard advocates.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/25665549 |
| Date | 23 April 2024 |
| Creators | Wanting Zhang (18422790) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/_b_Seeds_of_Change_Exploring_the_Potential_for_Greener_Schoolyards_in_Indianapolis_b_/25665549 |
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