I’ve always found it strange that our primary model for play in
American is the creation of centralized sites to which children are
driven in cars. This is particularly true in suburban and rural areas,
such as those where the Barnetraak modules were installed. Centralized
playgrounds can make play and the physical exertion associated with it a
singular event; a destination, something done on special occasions
once-in-a-while. And we should have playgrounds like that. But
affecting a child’s physical and mental health through the medium of
play requires a more constant presence.
Playable features installed at a variety of scales from small
(hoppable patterns in the sidewalk) to medium (retaining walls that
allow, rather than forbid, balancing along their tops) to large
(playable bus stops and huts like Barnetraak) give the child a playable
route through their individual landscape. They welcome the child into
the built environment, facilitating healthy physical interactions many
times a day instead of once on a weekend. In their best forms, they
also draw children and adults into more frequent community interactions
than do destination playgrounds, and the spaces are naturally supervised
because of foot traffic along existing paths. The clustered huts of
the Barnetraak project would be something completely different–something
less–if they were clustered in an isolated traditional playground
space, rather than along the road.
I recently had a conversation with some nice folks at ARUP, the
builder of cities. We discussed the siting of playgrounds and how
placing them along paths as integral elements of the wider planning scheme instead of at the end
of paths as some sort of destination alleviates many vexing playground
concerns. If in your design process you are debating whether or not
your playground needs a fence, or can be properly supervised, you have
most likely sited it badly. Start over, and put it on a path! Better
yet, consider whether the elements you were going to put in your
playground-as-destination would be more effective reorganized along a
traffic route to become a playground-as-path.
[images via ArchDaily]
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