Landscapes are Learning Labs

The Tom Lee Park Curriculum encourages local Memphis students to explore the ecology of their new riverfront park.

Written by

Brad Howe

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Tom Lee Park Curriculum

Students learn about native plants and insects in the Rhodes Pollinator Lab at Tom Lee Park. Photo, Memphis River Parks Partnership

Celebrated as a national model for inclusive placemaking and ecologically restorative urban design, Tom Lee Park—once a vast expanse of open lawn—is now a vibrant, welcoming destination that reconnects Memphians with their riverfront. In 2023, SCAPE and the Memphis River Parks Partnership developed a curriculum to highlight the park as a living laboratory and learning landscape, offering local students hands-on learning experiences and citizen science projects in their new riverfront park.

Project: Riverfront Park

Client: Memphis River Parks Partnership

Landscape Architect: SCAPE

Educator: Memphis River Parks Partnership, Memphis Shelby County School District

Over 1,000 new trees, including over 300 native oaks, were planted in the park. Photo, John Donnelly
Students take urban heat measurements in the park. Photoo, Connor Ryan.
Students go on a scavenger hunt to identify the various oak species in the park. Photo, Connor Ryan.
The oaks of Tom Lee Park. The curriculum includes several drawings and illustrations by SCAPE.

Download the Tom Lee Park Curriculum Case Study

Tom Lee Park Case Study_Landscapes are Learning Labs_ 2025 LAFDownload

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