2013 Greenbuild Legacy Projects

Smith Memorial Playground and Public Workshop will partner on this project to create a youth-built obstacle course at Smith's historic facility in East Fairmount Park. The Legacy Project will enhance the visitor experience in Smith's Playground and help children connect to its natural environment. The project unites Public Workshop's visionary work and experience leading youth and their communities to shape the design of their cities with Smith's long tradition of advocating for and providing opportunities for physical and imaginative play for children 10 and younger. Working together, the two organizations will convene interested children and families from Smith's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood to assess unused or underused spaces on Smith's 6.5 acre playground. The youth led collaboration will design and build a series of interactive elements and structures that provide opportunities for natural play and invite exploration of the trees, hills, plants, flowers and other natural assets that make Smith unique.

Work on the project begins in early 2013 to build community buy in; participating children will meet in the summer and fall to explore, dream, design and plan how they want to use recycled materials to link programmed play spaces in Smith's playground to nature. Construction by children and adults takes place in the fall, with a grand opening and dedication of the new installations to coincide with the Greenbuild 2013 festivities in November.