Paris OASIS - Schoolyard Climate Resilience Programme

Paris, France · 2018 · City of Paris (Municipality), with the Paris Urban Planning and Education Departments and urban design and landscape architecture teams

Demonstrates how schools can function as urban climate infrastructure. Contributes to city-wide heat adaptation strategies. Expands access to green and cooling spaces in dense neighbourhoods.

Highlight

Transforming schoolyards into climate-resilient public infrastructure that reduces urban heat, manages stormwater, and expands access to green public space.

Extended description

The OASIS programme in Paris (launched in 2018) redesigns schoolyards into multifunctional "cool islands" that respond to urban heatwaves and heavy rainfall events.

These spaces replace asphalt-heavy schoolyards with:

• Permeable surfaces.

• Vegetation.

• Shade structures.

• Water retention features.

The intervention is designed not only for children during school hours but also as public cooling infrastructure outside school times, effectively turning schools into part of the city's climate adaptation network.

The programme is part of Paris's broader strategy to reduce urban heat islands and increase climate resilience in dense urban districts.

Demonstrated metrics

• Reduction of surface temperatures in redesigned schoolyards.

• Increased permeable and green surface coverage.

• Improved stormwater retention capacity.

• Number of schools transformed under the programme.

Real impact

• Demonstrates how schools can function as urban climate infrastructure.

• Contributes to city-wide heat adaptation strategies.

• Expands access to green and cooling spaces in dense neighbourhoods.

Implementation location & date

Paris, France

Core implementation:

- OASIS Programme (since 2018)

Similar cases elsewhere

Comparable initiatives include:

• Barcelona — Schoolyard greening and climate shelter pilot projects.

• Rotterdam — Schoolyard water and heat adaptation projects.

• Milan — Green schoolyards and urban cooling interventions.

Replicability

High

Applicable to:

• Dense cities with public school infrastructure.

• Heat-prone urban contexts.

Requires municipal coordination but remains a relatively low-tech solution.

Additional Information

Why it is different

• Converts schoolyards into climate infrastructure.

• Dual function: education + public cooling space.

• Systemic integration into a city-wide heat adaptation strategy.

• Scalable model embedded within existing public infrastructure.

Positive Co-benefits

• Reduced urban heat island effect.

• Improved stormwater infiltration and flood management.

• Better air quality and biodiversity in dense urban areas.

• Increased public space and social cohesion.

• Health and well-being benefits for children.

Negative Impacts / Limitations

• Requires redesign of existing school infrastructure.

• Ongoing maintenance of vegetation and water systems.

• Limited availability of space in very dense urban environments.

Sources

• Official programme: https://www.paris.fr/pages/les-cours-oasis-7389

• Technical project description (AREP): https://www.arep.fr/en/our-projects/oasis-schoolyards/

• EU Climate-ADAPT case study: https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/metadata/case-studies/paris-oasis-schoolyard-programme-france

• EU Covenant of Mayors: https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/node/1451

• COOLSCHOOLS European Project: https://coolschools.eu/

• Academic publication: https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.08886