Playgrounds
For Playable Cities: Make the City a Playground
The "Using Behavioral Economics to Create Playable Cities" report suggests that so much time spent in front of screens, and the continued need to counter the obesity epidemic, requires new thinking about play for children living in cities.
Playground Preservation: Protecting the Cultural History of Slides and Swings
Writing for the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Kaitlin O’Shea presents a brief history of the formal playground and explores the challenges of preserving these relics of our cultural history without compromising child safety.
In Cash-Strapped Cities, Parents Create Inclusive Playgrounds
Federal requirements often aren't enough incentive for municipalities to create accessible playgrounds, so parent advocates are paving the way for kids with special needs to access playgrounds.
Take Your Kids to the Park and Leave Them There...Seriously
Apologies for being a little late on this one, but apparently last Saturday was the fourth annual 'Take Our Children to the Park...and Leave Them There Day.' Sounds crazy right? Lenore Skenazy argues why it may be the smartest thing you do all week.
The Prevalence of Play Deserts
A new study analyzing the amenities in 165 parks in the four-county Kansas City metro region found that low-income neighborhoods suffer from a lack of play spaces, despite having more parks per capita, reports Emily Badger.
Building a Better Playground
Cecilie Rohwedder profiles playground designer Peter Heuken, who's at the vanguard of a trend towards bespoke play spaces that challenge children as much as they entertain them.
Is a Little Danger Good for Playgrounds?
New research in child development is giving rise to playgrounds designed to build children's confidence in facing challenges and evaluating risk, Sumathi Reddy reports.
Turning Kids Into Planners
An experiment in Germany engages kids to build micro-cities as playgrounds. The idea is coming to downtown Philadelphia.
Playgrounds for Adults
Winnie Hu reports on a new effort in Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx to encourage adults into healthy activity.
Robert Moses and the "Playscape"
James Trainor looks back at the history of New York's "adventure playgrounds" of the 1960s and 70s, tracing their origin back to the original Central Park dust-up between Robert Moses and local housewives.
Between Recess and Lunch, a Lesson in Landscape Architecture
Lisa Foderaro explores a program underway in select New York City schools to guide children through the eco-friendly redesign of their own playgrounds.
The World's Most Amazing Playgrounds
Emily Temple has collected images of "15 Amazing Playgrounds From All Over The World" in an effort to inspire the kid inside all of us.
Playgrounds Pop Up in New York
Neighborhoods in New York City have built temporary "pop-up" playgrounds in an effort to encourage more physical activity among children.
The New Way to Play
New playground designs are shaking up public parks around the world. So long, slides, hello interpretive playscapes.
Absurd Safety in Playgrounds Causing Accidents
Planner Sharon Danks says that as playgrounds become less challenging due to concerns over liability, kids invent their own, far more dangerous uses for the equipment.
Citizens Create Temporary Park in Philadelphia
Community members in Philadelphia have taken over a languishing site and put it back into use as a temporary park space.
Density is Good for Cities, But is it Healthy for Kids?
Yes, people walk around more, less obesity, etc. But a report shows that city kids are less frequently allowed outside to play for safety concerns.
Saving Detroit One Playground at a Time
A group calling itself the "Detroit Mower Gang" has gone rogue on the city's poorly maintained playgrounds, attacking them with weed wackers and riding mowers to get them back into shape for the city's kids.
A Precarious Playground
A new Parisian park would cause American parents to go apoplectic, with a precarious slopes and a lack of rubber bumpers. It is the latest incarnation of the "adventure playground, says Alexander Trevi of Pruned.
New Playgrounds Coming to NYC
NYC's Dept. of Education has committed to building 70 new playgrounds in the five boroughs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
