Mapping our community

Objectives

Materials

• Paper and pencil

Key Questions

• What types of buildings and features are most common?
• What features aren’t found immediately in your community?
• What resources are being used in your community?
• What would you alter or add to your city to make it more sustainable?

What To Do

As an introduction to green design, investigate the streets around your school to get a better idea of what’s in your immediate community. Look for certain features, places and spaces, such as:

• Where people live (Residential: houses, apartments, condos)
• Where people buy and sell goods (Commercial: Stores, markets, grocers)
• Spaces for nature, exercise, or play (Public Space and Parks: Recreation centres,
  parks, hiking trails)
• Where people access services, learn, or get help (Institutional: Schools, museums, libraries)
  and where people gather (community centres, religious spaces)
• Where things are made, processed, or disposed of (Industrial: landfill, factories,
  recycling facilities, storm drains)
• Plants or animals providing services (ecosystem services: rain gardens/bioswales,
  food gardens, trees for shade)
• Visible plants and animal habitat or evidence of animals (scat, tracks, nests)

In pairs or as a class, create a map of your community. Label the features found during your exploration.