UDCE served as prime Civil Engineer for green schoolyard improvements at multiple Oakland USD campuses including Sankofa Academy, Oakland International High School, Sobrante Park Elementary, Parker Elementary, Lowell Middle School, and Burbank Preschool. 
Most of these projects involved transforming asphalt parking lots into user-friendly playgrounds and/or sportsfields with features of nature, greenery and play areas that promote exercise, exploration, and a sustainable environment. For instance, at Sankofa Academy, UDCE provided civil engineering for vegetated stormwater management, artificial turf and resilient surfacing, a concrete amphitheater, community garden, fencing, planting, irrigation, grading, and drainage. Golden Associates Landscape Architects sustainable designs further specified drought-tolerant plants, low-flow irrigation, soil sensors, and photovoltaic panels.