Exploring Local Landscapes: Place-Based Learning for Environmental Education

In an increasingly digital world, reconnecting learners with their environment is more critical than ever. Place-based learning offers an immersive—or “re-immersive”—approach to education, using the local landscape as a living classroom. Schools and community programs across various cities have embraced this model, integrating outdoor experiences with curriculum-based learning to foster ecological awareness and deeper connections with place. Direct interaction with natural environments cultivates a sense of stewardship, encouraging young learners to appreciate and care for their surroundings, supplying a greater purpose and belonging that promotes multigenerational communities.

By examining how different regions and urban areas promote outdoor learning in public spaces, we can better understand its benefits for communities and its role in expanding access to environmental education.

Urban Planning and Place-Based Learning

Many cities have embraced creative urban planning strategies that turn public spaces into interactive learning environments. Outdoor classrooms, natural play spaces, and learning gardens integrate environmental awareness into daily life. Well-designed landscapes and public art installations invite observation, exploration, and engagement with local ecology and history. The Adelante Con Arboles project in Laredo, Tx., is transforming schoolyards into forests by planting native tree species across eight schools. Supported by a $3.12 million grant, this initiative aims to enhance outdoor learning and increase environmental awareness by achieving at least 30% canopy coverage. The project actively involves students, parents, and community members in environmental education efforts related to climate change, urban heat, and air quality issues.

The Boxers' Trail at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Pa., is a 3.8-mile trail with wooded and paved paths that wind through East Fairmount Park. Deeply tied to Philadelphia's boxing culture, the Boxers' Trail is a place that many Philadelphia boxers, including Smokin' Joe Frazier, have used as part of their training regimes. Courtesy of Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Enhancing Purpose through Functional Trails, Parks, and Gardens

Well-maintained trails with informative signage provide opportunities for students and the public to engage with local flora and fauna. Seasonal field guides encourage observation of ecological changes, helping learners track migration patterns, plant growth cycles, and human impacts on the environment.

Some cities are incorporating digital elements into the public landscape to help their visitors access deeper layers of environmental and cultural knowledge. Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Pa., offers an interactive digital guide with QR codes placed along trails. These codes provide visitors with historical narratives, ecological insights, and augmented reality experiences showcasing how the landscape has changed over time. 

In New Orleans, La., the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) program transforms urban spaces into interactive learning environments. Originally founded in 2006 and re-established post-Katrina with support from famed “slow food movement” Chef Alice Waters, ESYNOLA operates at several FirstLine public charter schools, integrating gardening and culinary education into the curriculum. Students engage in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing food, fostering a deep connection to their environment and promoting healthy eating habits. Maintaining parks and open green spaces is essential in ensuring these outdoor learning opportunities remain accessible and sustainable.

Interactive Public Art and Urban Ecology

In Seattle, the Sound Garden, located on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) campus, demonstrates how outdoor spaces can foster curiosity and interdisciplinary learning. This kinetic sound sculpture responds to wind currents, allowing visitors to experience environmental elements in an artistic and scientific manner.

Further south, Seattle’s Georgetown Steam Plant has been transformed into a public learning space, serving as a hub for artists, educators, and learners to explore the intersections of industrial history, ecological justice, and creative expression through interdisciplinary workshops and an annual science fair. These examples showcase how outdoor public spaces can be repurposed to support environmental education and interdisciplinary learning. 

Outdoor spaces not only support environmental education, but also fosters a sense of responsibility and connection the local landscape, especially for those exploring STEM fields.

Engaging with the Recorded History of Local Environments

Understanding the history of a place deepens a learner's relationship with it. Cities that integrate historical narratives into their environmental education efforts provide learners with a broader perspective on the evolution of landscapes, human impact, and conservation efforts.

Learning from Tribal Nations and Local Communities

Indigenous-led environmental education programs add invaluable context to sustainability and ecological stewardship. In the Great Lakes region, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College and its partners engage students in hands-on learning about traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Through seasonal land-based teachings, water conservation projects, and Indigenous science workshops, students gain insight into the sustainable practices that have guided Anishinaabe communities for generations. Programs like these integrate traditional knowledge with modern scientific methods, fostering a holistic understanding of environmental responsibility.

The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, a partnership with Michigan State University Extension, engages youth across the Midwest in environmental projects that address natural resource issues around the Great Lakes. This approach enhances STEM skills for learners while fostering a sense of responsibility and connection to the local landscape. 

Observing Landmarks for Human Impact and Hidden Histories

Beyond museums, urban environments themselves serve as historical texts. Observing landmarks such as historic buildings, sculptures, preserved industrial sites, and even differences across area neighborhoods invites inquiry into the past. Educators can encourage students to ask questions like: What existed here before? 

Are there visible remnants of previous ecosystems or industries? For example, in cities with preserved historic districts, students might examine architectural details for signs of past construction materials or analyze maps to see how rivers, roads, or green spaces have shifted over time. Understanding how human activity has shaped the environment helps students connect history with modern sustainability efforts.

Whether through accessible public green spaces, interactive media and art, or historical explorations, place-based learning encourages observation, curiosity, and critical thinking, as well as increased safety and sense of belonging. Cities that prioritize these opportunities cultivate a population that is more engaged with its surroundings. As cities continue to evolve, communities that integrate outdoor education can sustain generations of environmentally conscious individuals who appreciate and advocate for the landscapes they inhabit.

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Wendy Blevins is an Editorial contractor for ScribeConcepts.