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The Amsterdam Schoolyard Incentive

GreenBiodiversity preservation
By project PERFECT
Publication Published on 01 November 2018
Location
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Netherlands
Noord-Holland
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.

About this good practice

The City of Amsterdam is using the Amsterdam Schoolyard Incentive (Amsterdamse Impuls Schoolpleinen - AIS) to make schoolyards as accessible as possible outside of regular school hours to create more playgrounds in the city, and to provide schoolchildren with a green space to play in. The AIS makes it possible to design or redesign schoolyards to render them suitable places for getting more exercise; learning about and playing in nature; serving as a safe and pleasant place to interact, and providing better drainage for rainwater. Creating playgrounds where pupils are challenged to play, embark on an adventure with one another and as a result get more physical exercise. School boards, district committees and Amsterdam's College of Mayors and Alderpersons have signed a covenant pledging their support for this Incentive through collaboration agreements.
The AIS is an annual subsidy scheme in which school boards and district committees can apply for funding to design or redesign their schoolyard. They will also receive support from a team of experts at the City of Amsterdam in planning their new schoolyards. The proposals submitted are reviewed by an independent Advisory Committee.
There are currently 24 schoolyards which have been, or are in the process of being, redeveloped through this scheme.

Expert opinion

Cities have been facing many environmental pressures, including climate change, pollution and waste. Green infrastructure in urban areas takes the form of vegetated green surfaces, such as parks, trees, grasslands, but also private gardens. These all work together to support biodiversity, pollinators, carbon sequestration, flood protection and protection against excessive heat. Moreover, green infrastructure positively impacts human health and wellbeing. Green infrastructure is an important element in fulfilling EU legislation, especially in the areas of biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 and the Climate Adaptation Strategy. In this good practice, the city of Amsterdam creates green spaces in form of playgrounds. The initiative has a positive social impact as well, as it is focused on low income areas of the city and improved community integration. The subsidy scheme and the developed transferable checklist can be interesting and inspiring for other city authorities interested to adopt similar approach. 

Resources needed

The Amsterdam Schoolyard Incentive is €3.5 million for 2016-2018;
Education Coalition Fund €2.5 million and Groengelden (Green Fund) €1 million
Applicants may request up to €70,000 contribution to the design/redesign
Co-financing is a precondition with the guideline of 80:20 (City:Applicant)

Evidence of success

77.000 m2 green, attractive and safe playgrounds established with AIS
30.840 m2 extra (semi) public playgrounds
19.200 m2 extra green space added to the city
20.240 m2 less pavement in the city
50 non-smoking playgrounds
https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1528201658.pdf
Van Koetsveld school reports children are noticeably calmer and more focused after outdoor play and direct contact with nature provides an additional learning experience

Potential for learning or transfer

All cities have schools and schoolyards, often with concrete or hard surfaces used exclusively for school activities and the potential to convert these inaccessible places into community and environmental assets can be achieved by adopting by municipalities by adopting a similar approach. To help with this the Amsterdam Schoolyard Incentive has developed a transferable checklist to advise cities on what to look for to improve schoolyards, what are the challenges and what are the multi-benefits such as durability, flooding problems, mobility, education, green maintenance, participation etc.
The ASI has also developed a roadmap to help and advise on the reorganization of a schoolyard and what is involved in order to help applicants to develop their project.

Good practice owner

You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.

Organisation
Organisation

Municipality of Amsterdam

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Netherlands
Noord-Holland
Contact
Tags
Green
Infrastructure