SHORT FACTS
Name: Gweneth Leigh
Current position: Landscape Architect and Research Fellow
Workplace: University of Canberra, Australia
Favorite Schoolyard Activity: “Definitely playing foursquare. My lunches were often devoured in haste to claim a space in one of the four courts painted in the main quadrangle.”
Introduction
Gweneth Leigh is an Australian landscape architect and researcher with a deep commitment to designing meaningful outdoor spaces that provide people with a ‘feel-good’ factor. In her opinion, well-designed parks and public spaces should offer places to relax, play sports, and connect with others, yet, they are often the first to face budget cuts in development projects.
“That’s why I embarked on my PhD journey: to build evidence on how outdoor space design impacts our health and well-being. With evidence, we can advocate more effectively for greater investments in the open spaces that enrich our communities.”
PhD Project
A vast amount of research indicates that green spaces can boost our mental and physical health, and as students face increasing social and academic pressures, schoolyards play an important role in providing daily outdoor time. However, many schoolyards are not designed to support student well-being – a challenge Gweneth tackled in her PhD project.
“The outdoor design traditions of Australian high school environments has remained largely unchanged for over forty years, even though today’s students are navigating a very different world of stress, technology and climate compared to the 1980s.”
Gweneth’s project combined student feedback and expert insights to identify schoolyard features that support well-being. This meant that students in Canberra participated in mapping, designing activities, surveys, and group discussions, while designers and principals from across Australia shared their perspectives through interviews and surveys.
The findings underlined that schoolyards are more than just open spaces – they are relief zones for stress, especially when they include comfortable seating areas and diverse spaces for play.
Current Work
Building on her PhD project, Gweneth is now expanding her research nationally as the chief investigator of a two-year research grant. Her project, the Schoolyard Greenprint, bridges the worlds of schoolyard design, health, and student well-being by addressing three key questions:
- What types of outdoor spaces do schools currently have?
- What do students want?
- And most importantly, what kinds of outdoor environments do students actually need?
Central to the project is a co-design process that prioritizes lived experience.
“By tapping into the perspectives of the people who know schoolyards best–students, staff, policymakers, community groups and designers alike–the project gathers insights aimed to spark fresh thinking and set the stage for healthier schoolyard design outcomes.”
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Gweneth aims to continue her work on improving schoolyards. Her previous research revealed that current schoolyard designs often fail to meet the preferences and needs of female students. Gweneth is eager to dive deeper into these gender dynamics, focusing on how to create spaces that foster a greater sense of psychological safety for all students.
For deeper insights, discover more of Gweneth’s work:
