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The 2020 National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative call asked landscape architects and designers to help schools find safe places for classes outdoors, connect schools with design assistance, and prepare practical plans—not necessarily to build permanent outdoor classrooms. Jennifer Nitzky’s August 11, 2020 article for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) described a pro bono effort focused on emergency school reopening, especially in high-need neighborhoods. The guidance remains useful as a record of how professionals approached climate, shade, seating, circulation, cost, and teaching needs, but its volunteer totals, meeting details, and signup links are historical. The sources do not confirm that the original program or a successor is accepting participants today.
What was the 2020 call for landscape architects about?
The call was a rapid-response design effort for the COVID-19 school-reopening period. The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative sought landscape architects and designers who could help pre-K–12 schools and districts create workable outdoor learning areas on school grounds or, where appropriate, in nearby parks. The objective was to make classes possible outside while schools were managing indoor-capacity and health concerns, not to prescribe one permanent construction solution.
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In her August 11, 2020 article for ASLA’s The Field, Jennifer Nitzky described two ways to participate: introduce local schools—particularly those in high-need neighborhoods—to the initiative, or volunteer professional design skills directly. Volunteer teams were expected to combine emerging professionals with experienced landscape architects and produce usable planning material for school decision-makers.
Nitzky summarized the urgency in a sentence that still defines the program’s scope: “While schools ultimately may want living landscapes full of shade trees, the immediate focus is on emergency outdoor classrooms—anywhere on their school grounds or in local parks where classes can safely take place.” That distinction matters. A school could begin with a safe, shaded, clearly organized teaching area and improve it over time rather than wait for a complete landscape renovation.
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Who could participate, and what work did volunteers provide?
The call had a connection route and a design route. People with relationships to schools, districts, community organizations, or local government could help identify campuses that needed assistance and connect them with the initiative. Practicing landscape architects and designers could contribute the technical work needed to turn a school’s request into a set of options.
The proposed volunteer groups paired less-experienced professionals with senior practitioners. Their outputs could include:
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- diagrams that explained how a space could be used by classes or groups;
- shade and planting concepts, including ways to use existing trees and other structures;
- experiential learning areas and screening where those features supported the school’s program;
- rough cost estimates to help a school distinguish immediate, low-cost moves from later investments;
- case studies and other planning resources that schools could adapt to their own sites.
This was design assistance, not a promise that every campus would receive construction, procurement, or installation. A useful plan could show where existing desks might go, how students would move between buildings and outdoor areas, and which improvements should be treated as temporary, movable, or permanent.
How many volunteers and schools were involved?
The figures in the 2020 article are a snapshot of that moment, not current participation data. ASLA reported that more than 130 landscape architects and designers from 20 states and four countries had signed on, while 70 schools had requested design assistance. Those numbers demonstrate the scale of the emergency response in 2020; they should not be read as a present-day roster or a live measure of demand.
The sources reviewed for this article do not establish whether the original signup form, meetings, or a successor program remain active. Anyone seeking assistance now should verify the status directly through current information from ASLA, the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative, a school district, or a local schoolyard-design organization rather than relying on an old call to action.
What did outdoor-classroom planning have to solve?
Three connected questions shaped the work: Is the space comfortable and usable in the local climate? Can it fit safely into the campus and its daily circulation? And what level of investment matches the school’s teaching program and resources? The Los Angeles-area elementary-school case study makes those questions concrete.
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1. Climate and seasonal comfort
Heat, shade, wind, rain, and seasonal daylight determine when an outdoor room is genuinely usable. A plan should identify existing tree canopy, covered walkways, building overhangs, and other sources of protection before proposing new structures. It should also state when a space is likely to be uncomfortable or unsafe, rather than treating “outside” as a year-round solution.
The Los Angeles example described a hot, dry setting that was often above 100°F and subject to strong Santa Ana winds in October. Its low-cost approach therefore limited outdoor classroom use to cooler months, November through May, and avoided the strongest wind period. That schedule is a site-specific response, not a general calendar for schools elsewhere.
2. Site capacity and proximity
Outdoor classrooms must work with the campus that exists. Designers need to consider how far a class must travel from its regular room, whether paths are accessible, where students queue or transition, and whether the proposed area conflicts with play, arrival, service access, or other school functions. A nearby, modestly equipped space can be more useful than a larger area that is difficult to reach or supervise.
Mapping the number and location of possible teaching areas also helps a school distribute use. Several small areas may allow classes to operate simultaneously and reduce congestion, while one highly equipped area may support a particular subject or grade level. The right arrangement depends on the school’s timetable and program, not on a universal classroom-size formula.
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Planning should separate what can happen immediately from what requires fundraising, permits, or construction. Existing desks, movable mats, picnic tables, benches, and log rounds can provide seating while a school evaluates longer-term improvements. Shade can be supplied by existing vegetation or structures first, with new infrastructure considered when the site and budget justify it.
The educational program should drive the layout. A discussion circle, a science observation area, and a hands-on making space have different furniture, storage, visibility, and surface needs. Screening or planting may support focus or habitat study, but it should not block necessary sightlines or emergency access.
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What did the Los Angeles-area case study propose?
The ASLA-hosted elementary-school case study compared three scenarios rather than presenting one “correct” design. All three worked from the school’s actual conditions, including tree canopy, covered walkways, and shade cast by solar panels. The study also considered moving existing desks outdoors and using movable mats, picnic tables, benches, or log rounds.
| Scenario in the case study | Maximum students (scenario estimate) | Seating areas | What it emphasized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-cost | 453 | 43 | Reuse of available shade, existing desks, and movable seating; seasonal operation |
| Small-infrastructure | 636 | 44 | Additional modest infrastructure while retaining many existing conditions |
| Education-program-aligned | 481 | 34 | Fewer, more specifically organized areas aligned with the school’s learning program |
These are planning scenarios for one school, not measured outcomes, code limits, or benchmarks for other campuses. The different totals show why “capacity” is a design choice: a school can fit more students by distributing simple areas, or serve a smaller number with spaces tailored to particular activities.
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How can a volunteer team turn a request into a useful plan?
The 2020 call did not require every school to build immediately. A practical sequence consistent with the initiative’s described deliverables is to establish the brief, document conditions, test options, and leave the school with decisions it can act on.
- Confirm the school’s teaching brief. Identify grades, subjects, group sizes, likely schedules, accessibility needs, storage questions, and whether the school needs emergency space for a limited season or a longer-term program.
- Document the site. Map classrooms, entrances, accessible routes, utilities and service paths, existing trees, covered walkways, solar-panel shade, paved and unpaved surfaces, and areas that are unavailable because of other campus uses.
- Record comfort and weather constraints. Note where shade falls during the school day, how heat accumulates, and when local winds or storms make a space impractical. The Los Angeles case demonstrates why a seasonal operating plan can be more honest than a claim of year-round use.
- Lay out several levels of intervention. Show a low-cost arrangement using existing resources, a modest-infrastructure option, and a program-specific option if the school can invest more. Keep movable elements distinct from work that would require construction.
- Check movement and supervision. Trace how students reach each area, where classes pass one another, how teachers maintain sightlines, and how the layout changes during arrival, recess, events, or emergency access.
- Explain costs and dependencies. Separate donated or existing items from purchases, site work, structural shade, planting, and professional services. Identify items that need facilities, district, landlord, or permitting approval.
- Hand over an implementable package. Provide a plan, diagrams, an itemized outline of improvements, operating assumptions, and a short list of decisions the school must make before installation.
What should an outdoor-classroom design package contain?
A clear package lets a principal, facilities manager, teacher, or community partner understand both the idea and its limits. At minimum, it should identify the proposed locations, show how people move between them, and distinguish existing features from proposed work. Diagrams should show seating orientation, shade, teaching surfaces, planting or screening, and any areas intentionally left open.
Include assumptions beside the drawings: the seasons or times of day when each area is usable, the number of students the scenario is intended to serve, and the furniture or equipment that must be moved or stored. A cost outline should identify what can be done with existing desks or movable pieces and what depends on new shade, foundations, electrical work, planting, or other construction. If a school is considering a retractable canopy, the package should flag the need for a site-specific structural and wind review rather than treating the canopy as a plug-in item.
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What are the main mistakes to avoid?
- Copying a climate solution from another city. The Los Angeles schedule and wind response cannot be transferred automatically to a humid, cold, rainy, or storm-prone region.
- Counting seats without checking circulation. A diagram may show many areas yet fail if students cannot reach them without crossing service routes or congested paths.
- Treating temporary furniture as a finished program. Movable desks and mats can start a class outside, but storage, daily setup, cleaning, and replacement need an operating plan.
- Adding shade without studying wind and structure. Fabric, poles, attachments, and foundations must suit the actual exposure and approvals for the site.
- Designing a generic “nature” area. Planting, logs, or screening should support the school’s educational purpose and supervision requirements, not simply fill leftover space.
- Presenting historical program details as current. The 2020 participation totals and signup path are not evidence of a live service.
How should a school evaluate an outdoor-classroom proposal?
Before committing funds, a school can use this decision checklist:
- Does each proposed area have a defined teaching purpose and likely users?
- Can students and staff reach it by an accessible, supervised route?
- Is shade available during the hours classes would actually use the space?
- What weather conditions close the area, and who decides when it reopens?
- Which desks, mats, tables, benches, or log rounds can be moved, stored, and maintained?
- Does the plan preserve emergency access, sightlines, and other campus operations?
- Which elements are immediate and reversible, and which need design review, permits, or construction?
- Does the estimated capacity reflect the school’s real timetable rather than a theoretical maximum?
Using those questions keeps the project grounded in the three planning axes documented by the case study: climate and seasonal comfort, site capacity and proximity, and investment aligned with educational use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the volunteer initiative still available?
The available sources do not verify current volunteer signups, a live referral program, or a successor with the same name. Treat the initiative as a historical 2020 response unless a current program page or organization confirms otherwise. A school seeking help now should contact its district facilities staff, local landscape-architecture networks, or an established schoolyard-design organization and independently confirm scope, insurance, approvals, and availability.
The Green Schoolyards America resource page preserves coverage and related material, including references to outdoor-learning resources. It should not be read as confirmation that the original emergency volunteer intake remains open.
Why did landscape architects have a useful role?
Outdoor teaching is not solved by placing desks on pavement. It requires a coordinated reading of sun, heat, wind, vegetation, buildings, circulation, accessibility, supervision, and the school’s instructional goals. Landscape architects are trained to connect those site conditions with phased improvements and visual plans that non-designers can discuss and cost.
The 2020 call’s strongest lesson is organizational as much as physical: a school did not need to wait for a perfect, fully built landscape. It could begin with safe locations, existing shade, movable seating, and a clear operating schedule, then add planting, infrastructure, or specialized learning areas as resources and experience accumulated.
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What should readers take from the 2020 call today?
The call documented a moment when schools needed fast, practical ways to move learning outdoors. Its historical figures—more than 130 participating professionals and 70 requesting schools—show the response’s reach in 2020, while the Los Angeles scenarios show why every campus needs its own climate, capacity, and investment analysis. The enduring method is to start with the site and the teaching program, present more than one level of intervention, and state clearly when and how each space can be used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a school hold classes in a nearby public park instead of on campus?
The 2020 call explicitly contemplated outdoor classes on school grounds or in local parks. A school would still need a documented agreement with the park owner or manager, a route and supervision plan, accessible facilities, and a weather and emergency procedure before scheduling classes there.
Do outdoor classrooms have to be permanent construction projects?
No. The initiative emphasized emergency classrooms, and the case study included existing shade, moved desks, mats, picnic tables, benches, and log rounds. Permanent shade, planting, or built seating can be phased in only when the site, program, approvals, and budget support them.
Why do the case-study student totals differ between scenarios?
Each scenario arranged a different number and type of seating areas and served a different educational purpose. The 453-, 636-, and 481-student figures are estimates for one Los Angeles-area school, not a formula that predicts capacity at another campus.
Where can I verify whether the 2020 volunteer program has reopened?
The published article and related resource page preserve the historical call, but the supplied sources do not confirm current enrollment. Check current notices from ASLA, the initiative’s organizers, the school district, or a local schoolyard-design group before using an old signup link or promising volunteer assistance.
