For the first time in history most people on the planet live in urban settings.   There are few places left in the world more than a day’s travel from a city.  The growth of cities, both in population and area, will be a creative challenge for this and future generations.  So it makes sense when covering a unit on “cities” or researching Spanish-speaking countries to engage students in considering what makes a place livable and how to achieve it.

The Green Map system (available in five languages) provides a set of internationally recognized icons to map the places in a city that make it sustainable, inclusive and healthy or that, conversely, detract from these goals.

A few ideas:

Map where you live.  One way to use the Green Map icons is to map the community where you live or even map your school campus.  Students choose the icons…