Learning Landscapes History

In 1998, after a six-year collaboration of parents, elementary school students, staff, faculty, neighbors, local businesses and landscape architecture graduate students, the first Learning Landscape was completed at Bromwell Elementary School in Denver.

It was intended at first to merely renovate Bromwell’s worn out playground, but soon evolved into a citywide urban initiative that impacted dozens of schools. The Learning Landscape project fulfilled a central objective of Landscape Architecture Professor Lois Brink: to engage in scholarly activities that strike a balance between traditional academic and professional endeavors, while at the same time stretching the boundaries of landscape architecture design.

Bromwell’s renovation project transformed itself into an urban initiative that impacted the lives of thousands of children, but it was ultimately brought about by the convergence of four distinct conditions and events in the Denver area and its public school system:

1. an aging elementary school infrastructure;
2. elimination of court mandated busing;
3. a new urban university mandate that encouraged outreach into city neighborhoods and communities; and,
4. city, state and non-profit funding as a catalyst for implementation.

In 2000, Brink’s UC Denver Program partnered with Denver Public Schools and private foundations to raise the initial funds to construct 22 inner-city schools. In 2003, the Denver Public Schools General Obligation Bond was passed, securing an additional 10 million dollars in funding for 25 more schools.  In 2008, Denver voters passed a General Obligation Bond with funding to construct 37 new Learning Landscapes from 2009 - 2012. 

While the main objective of this civic process is to reconnect communities with their public schools, a learning landscape playground and park also creates innovative avenues for participatory learning, increases recreational opportunities, and provides much needed green spaces in otherwise heavily urbanized neighborhoods. The learning landscape creates a site for learning and discovery that is fun and ultimately celebrates the cultural and historic character of each distinct neighborhood.

For more information, please read the following article:

Brink, Lois and Bambi Yost. "Transforming Inner-City School Grounds: Lessons from Learning Landscapes." Children, Youth and Environments 14(1), 2004:208-232.