Designing for play

Where people grow up and play in childhood creates one of the longest lasting memories they are likely to have. Yet, too rarely are these childhood landscapes planned or designed by professionals with the appropriate range of skills, knowledge and experience. There must be a much more holistic and collaborative approach to the design of play spaces if we want to create places of lasting value.

Over the next three years the UK will see the biggest investment in children’s play ever. The Children’s Plan promises more safe places for children with £235 million for upgrading 3,500 existing playgrounds and the creation of thirty new supervised adventure playgrounds and play spaces. The Big Lottery Fund has also made £155 million available to local authorities in England through its Children’s Play Initiative. CABE Space welcomes this investment and encourages a strategic design-led approach to the creation of new play spaces. All changes in play provision need to be supported by a strategy which ensures a range of accessible play ‘offers’ across an area and protects and enhances the long term value.{mosimage}

Currently the majority of play space relies too heavily on the design and installation of manufactured play equipment. These spaces are often designed with minimising maintenance costs in mind, rather than opportunities for children that incorporate risk and challenge. Local authorities should be encouraged to use play equipment creatively, within an overall design for the space, rather than relying solely upon it. Before embarking on a new play scheme, it’s important to have an understanding of the characteristics of the site, its history and geography to suggest how a sense of
place can be established and relate to what is there already. A skilled designer is integral to the whole process and should be involved from beginning to end. Play England will be publishing a practical and inspirational guide this summer that promotes quality and innovation in the design of public space for children’s play.

Natural play is gaining momentum in the UK, with some Groundwork Trusts and the Forestry Commission amongst others delivering exemplar projects. The benefits of natural play to children’s learning, healthy growth and development are well documented. Such spaces primarily contain playful landscape elements including
landform, vegetation and loose parts such as sticks, stones, mud and sand. This summer, CABE will be sponsoring Natural Play Environments, two day training events organised by the University of Sheffield. These events will provide information about designing play spaces in a more natural manner with the opportunity to develop a site design.

Once a commitment has been made to develop a play space and resources have been found to do so, there are a number of tools that can help clarify priorities for action. One such tool is Spaceshaper, developed by CABE Space, which assesses the quality of a public space by bringing those who use a space together with those who manage it. CABE Space is working with partners to develop a version of the tool for children and young people. Later this summer, a series of inspirational case studies involving young people in the design and care of urban spaces will be published on the CABE website.

England is better placed than ever before to transform the quality of new and existing play spaces, with the Children’s Plan, emerging guidance and a new national indicator from Central Government to be introduced to guide this process. CABE Space encourages a holistic and collaborative approach to the design of play spaces to ensure we create places of lasting value. All changes in play provision should be part of the strategic development for play across an area, informed and underpinned by an agreed play policy. Designers with an appropriate range of skills, knowledge and experience should be involved in a scheme from beginning to end. However, play spaces aren’t the gift of one profession. Planners, local community groups and transport professionals all need to be involved to ensure the wider changes to play in our public spaces will benefit many generations to come.

To learn about CABE, and for ideas and inspiration, visit: www.cabe.org.uk