During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both people and the planet were struck by the collective lockdown. It was a rare moment in history where individuals globally cooperated for the sake of common health. Within this period, the lockdowns temporarily both benefitted community health as well as planetary health. According to NASA, 2020 nitrogen oxide emissions were reduced globally by 15% and in some areas reduced by up to 50%. While locking down, people were simultaneously led to outdoor spaces. While many students were sent home for remote learning, some students, however, remained at school during this time and witnessed physical transformations on their campuses. Higher-ed institutions in the United States have been forced to think outside the traditional classroom setting, shifting to outdoor student life and learning to harness the natural barriers our planet provides against disease spread. While these modified outdoor spaces have been noted as effective promoters of positive student health, they have not been adequately examined through other lenses of their impact on the climate crisis and their viability as climate change adaptive spaces. This project employs a case study analysis of outdoor space responses to the pandemic and seeks to identify spatial opportunities with impacts beyond the health crisis. Global health crises and the climate crisis go hand in hand, with shifts in climate leading to more zoonotic disease transmission. Uncovering the possible co-benefits from pandemic outdoor space use may yield optimistic responses that address harmful climate and health relationships.