Comments on: On Adventure Playgrounds & Mutli-Use Destinations

By: Weekly Design Blog Favorites: July 9, 2012 | Walter Communications

Weekly Design Blog Favorites: July 9, 2012 | Walter Communications — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:51:08 +0000

[...] Adventure playgrounds. Brendan Crain blogs how the playgrounds have changed and the how the “play structure” has become something that doesn’t use the child’s imagination and play. [...]

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:53:00 +0000

I agree with you, and the adult playground are really starting to become a common place.

By: Whom Does Design Really Serve? | Project for Public Spaces

Whom Does Design Really Serve? | Project for Public Spaces — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:32:52 +0000

[...] is a place where pieces of play equipment are separated by vast stretches of grass and pavement, siloing different modes of play and neutralizing their capacity for sparking children’s imaginations. Watching the handful of [...]

By: Designing for Play: Children in the Public Realm | The GRID | Global Site Plans

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 10:17:56 +0000

[...] As captured recently by a blogger at PPS, playgrounds are “staging areas of the cities of tomorrow.” They require some aspect of diversity and mix-use. Contemporary playgrounds should plan for a wide range of ages. Some parks have experimented with installing workout equipment along-side play equipment. Places that successfully attract adults and children make a space that is used more. [...]

By: Brendan Crain

Brendan Crain — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:21:00 +0000

@ Nanercize – What a great video! Watch for a @PPS_Placemaking tweet later today.

@ Jennifer – I definitely understand where you’re coming from, but it still breaks my heart. The idea that our society has become litigious about *splinters* is absurd to me!

By: Jennifer McClintock

Jennifer McClintock — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:36:00 +0000

I shared this concept with coworkers (we are in the Parks and Recreation industry), and they love these types of play spaces. From a government perspective, however, minimizing the risk of slip and fall areas, or any potential litigation (and people will try their hand at the smallest of things), means playgrounds have to be sanitized and, well, pigeonholed into the homogeneous “structures” you see today. It’s all about minimizing risk, which does leave a lot for the imagination.

By: Nancercize

Nancercize — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:30:00 +0000

Well-argued but why limit the focus to playgrounds for kids? So-called “adult playgrounds” are the latest attempt to lure adults towards a more active life and perhaps they will attract and keep some. So, that’s a good thing. But along side such single-use “fitness zones” which silo physical activity into a box just like health clubs do (albeit outdoor boxes, which has additional health benefits), why not teach adults (yes, and their kids) how to use what’s already built? I’m advocating a kinder gentler form of parkour, of bootcamp. I’ve been designing and leading outdoor fitness programs since 2004–and all we use are park features that don’t give up their other uses–benches, walls, steps, railings, curbs, and so on. For adults too, creativity rocks! To get a better idea of what’s possible, watch “101 Things to Do on a Park Bench” at http://www.nancercize.net.

By: Weekly Design Blog Favorites: July 9, 2012 « Waltercomms Blog

Weekly Design Blog Favorites: July 9, 2012 « Waltercomms Blog — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:39:41 +0000