Where do the children play? How policies can influence practice (original) (raw)
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Play and Playgrounds in Children's Geographies
Establishing Geographies of Children and Young People, Geographies of Children and Young People, 2019
Research on play and playgrounds covers a huge swath of literature in children’s geographies. Studies on play can be both abstract and material and range from the well-debated differentiation between work and play to the essential nature of children and childhood. Playgrounds on the other hand are concrete, historically public, spaces. Some of the earliest research in the geography of children explored the role of the playground in children’s lives, and their playful activities in the city and country. This chapter will explore theoretical and empirical research on play and playgrounds in children’s geographies. As a review of the field, this chapter will highlight the foundational and current literature on play and playgrounds, including the origins of the Playground Movement, and will integrate the literature that the student of play and playgrounds in children’s geographies should know.
Children’s Use of Public Space
Childhood, 2003
This article considers the gendered character of the contemporary playground. Based on observational studies in eight Amsterdam playgrounds and interviews with users, it is shown how playground participation, activities and micro-geographies are structured by gender. Furthermore, not only does the playground function as a gendered space, its physical and symbolic landscapes also reinforce this binary divide. In addition, the contested character of this divide is illustrated with examples of girls and boys challenging traditional gender behaviour. In its gendered access, the playground is comparable with other public spaces: in contrast, however, it has not yet been the focus of feminist critique. This article points out the wider significance of creating emancipatory public play environments.
International Journal of Play, 2018
Globally, public spaces are designated for children and young people to use within their communities. In the UK, these spaces have historically been playing-fields and parks with fenced playgrounds. The adult presence within these public spaces has evolved; from the supervisory role of the 'park keeper' to the active engagement of play workers and more recently Play Rangers. For over 100 years in Finland, Leikkipuisto have provided extensive, child-focused play parks; balancing man-made and natural resources, to provide a vast range of affordances. Furthermore, the adult-the Ohjaaja-is integral to the provision. This paper draws on the experiences of the authors, and considers how the Play Ranger and the Ohjaaja have similar roles in supporting children and young people to play. This is discussed in relation to Kyttä's four hypothetical environments: Bullerby, Glasshouse, Wasteland and Cell (2004), and historical and funding differences between the UK and Finland.
Interpretations of Play and Its Spatial Manifestations: Play, Playground and Network
Architectural Research Think Tank (ArTT), NUS, 2013
"In the last couple of decades, the phenomenon of ‘play’, specifically children’s play, has got significant attention in global policy debates as well as in a variety of academic disciplines. Although much has been written on play, play remains to be a puzzlingly ‘difficult’ concept to define (Piaget 1962, Flanagan 2010: 4). The difficulty lays in the construction of the concept of play itself. Play seems to be more an ambiguous metaphor (Sutton-Smith 1997) than a serious topic of scientific study. Metaphorically, ‘playing’ might refer to almost all human and animal activities (Karoff 2013) and as such tries to escape definition. For example, playing as designing, playing as writing, playing as doing music, playing as creative exploration, playing as taking part in sports, playing as making fun, playing as playing role, playing as story telling, playing as acting, playing as pretending, playing as hiding and so on. Such vagueness and multiplicity of meaning (re) creates a new ground for (re) interpretation of the significance and meaning of play and its spatial derivatives such as playground. Given such complexities exist, in this presentation I will highlight my explorations on two dominant strands of literatures on play: a) those creating a voice for play by seeing it as a significant ‘right’ in a diminished world of (children’s) outdoor play; and those trying to (re) conceptualize the variegated meanings of the cultural phenomena called ‘play’. I will show, by borrowing concepts from earlier theorists-of-play, why it is important to (re) consider both of these strands together while (re) addressing spatial manifestations of play, i.e. playgrounds, in planned urban settings. I will argue that it is not feasible to isolate ‘play’ and ‘playgrounds’ from other interconnected sociocultural and spatial-temporal phenomena. Such explorations might help me to develop a framework for my research involving play, playgrounds and their networks. "
Containing children: some lessons on planning for play from New York City
Environment and Urbanization, 2002
York to changing conceptions of childhood, and specifically to a felt need to 'contain' children in order to keep them off the streets, safe from traffic and unsavoury influences -a trend that children have tended to resist. Playgrounds most often substitute a narrow range of physical activity for the spontaneous play in diverse environments that children more naturally crave. Not only do playgrounds fail to satisfy the complexity of children's developmental needs, they also tend to separate children from the daily life of their communities -exposure to which is fundamental to the development of civil society. What is needed, argues the author, is not more segregated playgrounds, but a greater attempt to make neighbourhoods safe and welcoming for children, responding to their own preferences for free play close to home.
Development models for playgrounds in the contemporary urban fabric
2016
The primary focus of this project is the playground as a generator of spaces for recreation, integration, identity expression of people in a group, active creativity and play. This project analyses children’s playgrounds from the following perspective: the playground in different urban development models, the presentation of possible development lines for playscapes, and the relationship that can be established between children’s recreation areas, art and gardens. These spaces are conceived as places for future intergenerational communication, creativity and the creation of identity within the contemporary urban fabric. Their purpose is also to instil children with educational values such as care and respect for the natural environment. Advocates of recreation spaces traditionally visualised playgrounds not only as places of refuge from the risks and perils of urban life, but also as areas that fostered social integration. Play has an educational value that is universally recognised.
Children Deserve A Space to Play: A Vision for a Better Urban Playing Spaces in Jeddah, KSA
3rd International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism (ICCAUA-2020), 2020
Play is critical for the mental and physical development of children worldwide, and urban play spaces are critical to neighborhood sustainability. The paper draws attention to the neglect of children's needs in the urban vision of development and how they are affected by the growing dependence on cars in Jeddah City. Through the literature review of both children's perspectives on playful urban spaces and the major challenges to creating a child-friendly urban environment while prioritizing a quality transport system, this research will determine a design framework for child-friendly urban areas. The paper will argue that this framework in Jeddah could be further enriched and informed by considering children's perspectives in the design process. The study develops a design proposal for the selected location that reflects the results of the research carried out by the author. The interviews were performed and observations made during the summer of 2019 among children and inhabitants of the selected area affected by urban planning.
An Investigation of Public Play to shape Urban Spaces
2012
The neighbourhoods, which create the very fabric of cities, are incomprehensibly changing by forces far out of the control of many residents. The vital connections to their communities, which can ensure a sustainable vitality across generations, are being broken by the effects of intensification, and by the ebb‐and‐flow of resident migration and commercial development. Our children can renew our connections to our cities, first by getting to know their own neighbourhoods, then by reaching out to fellow communities across the city. By offering our children a mechanism to explore how their urban environs are changing, they themselves can become experts on their local community with a genuine voice. The cultural importance of storytelling and play are finding their way back as rediscovered learning tools. Legends, myths, campfire lore, secrets between friends – these are the stories which leave their greatest impact on how we understand our ever‐changing world, and how we begin to see ...
IV. International Architectural Sciences and Applications Symposium, 2024
Play is commonly recognized as a creative and productive activity that fosters a child's innovative potential. However, its significance extends beyond childhood; it serves as a critical commentary on the consumption and rationality prevalent in contemporary urban life. Playful activities often manifest as spontaneous and voluntary actions, serving as a means for individuals to assert ownership over space. This ownership isn't defined by specific, written, and negotiated regulatory systems but rather by the ability of city residents to access and transform spaces through their lived experiences in the city. It represents a fusion of playful actions, creating spaces for both use and production that transcend the privatization of urban areas. This research explores the interaction between play theory and urban design in shaping inclusive public spaces and addressing issues related to space privatization. With a focus on community involvement, particularly through participatory design approaches, it aims to align spaces with diverse needs, as exemplified by public spaces in the Frankenberger Neighborhood in Aachen. Through observations and surveys, the study aims to illustrate how playful design fosters unique connections between people and places, thereby revitalizing public areas. The research advocates for the integration of play into design processes to inspire communal contribution, promote playfulness, encourage social engagement, and cultivate a deeper sense of ownership over space.