Child Friendly Urbanism by Annie Palone

Child Friendly Urbanism successful examples, best practice, recommended strategies

Annie Palone master design study fall 2014

Interrogating Sustainability

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.â&#x20AC;? Brundtland Commission, 1987 Our Common Future: chapter 2

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children are the first of these future generations. They are tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders. Design that neglects them is not sustainable.

Gaia Education

Dimensions of Sustainability*

Modules 1 Creating Community & Fostering Social Justice • Building Community & Embracing Diversity • Fostering Social Justice • The Power of Building Community • Starting Community: The Essentials • Vision, Mission and Goals

Modules

2 Governance: Group Dynamics & Decision Making

1 Holistic Worldview / Restorative Worldviews

• Issues of Group Dynamics • Facilitation Skills • Decisions everybody can support • Consensus • Understanding Conflict

• Repressive Power versus Creative Power • The Emerging Worldview • The Holographic Universe • New Paradigm Thinkers • Science and Spirituality

3 Power, Rank, Privilege, & Leadership • Integral Leadership • Social Justice and Systems of Oppression • Rank, Diﬀerence, and Power • Compassionate Communication • Helping Each Other Lead - Coaching

4 Art, Social Transformation & Media Literacy • Art in Community • Everyone is an Artist • Art and Creativity • Celebrating and Honouring Life • Media Literacy

2 Reconnecting with Nature • Gaia Theory • Cosmic Thinkers • Reconnecting to Nature • Learning from Sustainable Cultures • Designing with Nature

Social Dimension

3 Being & Doing for Social Change: Transformation

Worldview

5 Networks & Social Activism

• Local, Bioregional and Global Outreach • What is Bioregionalism? • Bioregional Mapping • Building Eﬀective Networks • Global Networks

sustainability Modules 1 Shifting the Global Economy towards Sustainability • How the Global Economy Works Today, and Why We Need to Change it • Unmasking the Global Economy and Why it Behaves As It Does • Role of International Organizations • Shifting the Global Economy Towards Sustainability • Footprint Analysis and Ecological Impacts

2 Community Funds, Local Currencies & Banking • Making Money Our Servant Rather than Our Master • Experiments with Locally-based Investment and Currency Systems • Slow Money and Patient Capital • Microcredit • Local Investment Vehicles

3 Right Livelihood

• Do High Levels of Consumption Improve Human Well-being? • Right Livelihood • Alternative National- and International-level Indicators • Values and Ethics in Economic Life • Investment Choices

4 Nurturing Local Economies • Social Enterprise • Plugging the Leaks • Village Enterprises • Relocalization • The solidarity economy

5 Legal Structures

• Legal and Financial Issues • Choosing Legal Structures • Types and Sources of Finances • Preparing Feasibility Studies and Business Plans • Economic Justice and oppression

Economic Dimension

• The Ecological Self • Awakening and Transformation of Consciousness • Spiritual Practices in Ecovillages • Similarities of Religions • Becoming a Co-creator of Evolution

4 Healthy Living in the Human & Natural Environment • Health and Culture • Elements of a Healthy Liberatory Consciousness • Global Health • Integral Health • Death as Transition

5 Socially Engaged Spirituality & Indigenous Traditions • What Must Be Done • Activism Against Oppression and for Liberation • Spiritual Activism • Prayer • Engaged Spirituality Networks

Ecological Dimension

Modules 1 Whole Systems Thinking & Design • Whole System Approach • Master Planning • Scale and Decentralization • Carbon, Climate, and Peak Oil • The Earth as a System

2 Urban Agriculture: Food & Nutrient Recycling, Permaculture • Permaculture • Sustainable Food and Farming • Wilderness • Whole System Ecology • Ecological Restoration

3 Green Building, Retroﬁtting, & the Environment • Green Building • Heating and Cooling • Local Materials • Urban Neighbourhoods • Retrofitting

4 Mobility, Resilience, Irregular Settlements • Appropriate Technology • Clean Water Science • Water Conservation • Renewable Energy • Energy Conservation

* Four Pillars. Gaia Education, 2014. www.gaiaeducation.org

Design is activism.

At its best, sustainable design combines ecological health and phenomenological richness to create healthy ecosystems, plant, and wildlife populations, richly synaesthetic and nuanced place-making, and habitats that promote health and well being,

Population Growth, Demographic Shift, and Urbanization

As we move into the 21st century, the paradigm is shifting: ...weather is less predictable, storms are stronger, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population has doubled in under 50 years, and urban populations are exploding... we need 21st century solutions to 21st century problems. Strategies for sustainable design need to prioritize children, and urban population growth in cities across the globe makes chil d fr ien dly u r ban i sm critical.

Design for Children: Resources and Scholarship Richard Louv (2005). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books.

Tim Gill (2014). The Benefits of Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Engagement with Nature: A Systematic Literature Review. Children, Youth and Environments 24(2). Denver: University of Colorado Press.

Robin Moore (2014), Nature Play and Learning Places: Creating and managing places where children engage with nature. NLI, NWF, USFS.

Design for Children: Framework

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...the detachment of education from the physical world not only coincided with the dramatic rise in life-threatening childhood obesity, but also with a growing body of evidence that links physical exercise and experience in nature to mental acuity and concentration.â&#x20AC;? Richard Louv (2005): 100

Design for Children: Framework

“...the studies support the view that spending time in nature is part of a “balanced diet” of childhood experiences that promote children’s healthy development, well-being and positive environmental attitudes and values. Claims about health benefits, both physical and mental are the most strongly supported by empirical evidence. In the case of mental health, emotional regulation and motor development, the evidence base includes a small number of more robust, cause-and-effect studies. “There is also good evidence of a link between time spent in natural settings as a child, and positive views of nature as an adult. The evidence base for these benefits covers a comparatively broad range of children from different countries and backgrounds. However, not all children are equally keen on nature and the outdoors. Studies have found that a lack of regular positive experiences in nature is associated with the development of fear, discomfort and dislike of the environment.” Tim Gill (2014): 17-18

Design for Children: Framework

“Children must spend more time outdoors – for their good health and the health of our planet. If children don’t move enough, their bodies will not develop in a healthy manner. “If children don’t grow up engaged with nature, chances are they will never understand human dependency on the natural world.” Robin Moore (2014): 9

Strategies for Child Friendly Urbanism

1. Three Scales

2. Three Exemplary Cities

3. Applied Research

Ecodistricts. Housing. Play Places.

Amsterdam. Copenhagen. Stockholm.

(Nature) Play Places for East Boston

Three Scales of Intervention

Ecodistricts

Housing

Play Places

1 Ecod i s t r ic t s Goal

Promote equity and opportunity and ensure fair distribution of beneﬁts and burdens of investment and development.

At the scale of ecodistricts, or neighborhoods designed with sustainability principles, the interconnection of the systems that serve the critical is of paramount importance. As far as specific child-friendliness goes, energy, water, and waste systems that are well connected provide a cleaner, healthier environment. Open space networks – enough area, access, distribution, connectivity, and appropriate programming – are critical. As are transportation networks: the city’s streets and sidewalks should be designed for human comfort before car-friendliness. According to EcoDistricts.org (formerly the Portland Sustainability Institute): ”An EcoDistrict is a neighborhood, or redevelopment area, committed to advancing sustainability through green building, smart infrastructure and behavior. It provides a framework for people to come together to set goals, define projects, engage in collaborative efforts, and raise the bar for sustainable practices. Stakeholders in an EcoDistricts include property owners, tenants, residents, utilities and government. Each has a role in achieving sustainability performance goals in eight areas, which can help guide district investments and community action.” (ecodistricts.org) Their performance areas, goals, and objectives are outlined to the right. The next page shows one alternative to sustainable neighborhood design, the USGBC’s LEED ND (Neighborhood Development).

Eco-District Performance Areas*

Objectives

• Ensure neighborhood investments provide direct community beneﬁt through job creation and investment opportunities • Provide quality and consistent local job opportunities through EcoDistrict projects • Mitigate the forced displacement of existing residents and businesses • Ensure diverse stakeholder invovlement in all EcoDistrict activities and decision making.

Goal

Promote human health and community wellbeing.

Objectives

• Provide access to safe and functional local recreation and natural areas • Provide access to healthy, local and aﬀordable food • Ensure safe and connected streets • Improve indoor and outdoor air quality

Goal

Zero waste and optimized materials management.

1 Equitable Development

Objectives

• Eliminate practices that produce waste wherever possible • Minimize use of virgin materials and minimize toxic chemicals in new products • Optimize material reuse and salvage, and encourage use of regionally manufactured products and parts • Where opportunities for waste prevention are limited, maximize use of products made with recycled content • Capture greatest residual value of organic wastes (including food) through energy recovery and/or composting

Goal

Achieve healthy urban ecosystems that protect and regenerate habitat and ecosystem function.

* Children’s health and wellbeing need to be prioritized, as they “are the canaries in the mines”

2 Health & Wellbeing

8 Materials Management

Goal

7 Habitat & Ecosystem Function

Create cohesive neighborhood identity through the built environment and a culture of community.

Sustainability

3 Community Identity

Objectives

• Create beautiful, accessible and safe places that promote interaction and access • Foster social networks that are inclusive, ﬂexible and cohesive • Develop local governance with the leadership and capacity to act on behalf of the neighborhood.

Objectives

• Protect and enhance local watersheds • Prioritize native and structurally diverse vegetation • Create habiat connectivity wihtin and beyond the district • Avoid human-made hazards to wildlife and promote nature-friendly urban design

6 Water

4 Access & Mobility

* Educate community members

5 Energy Goal

Meet both human and natural needs through reliable and aﬀordable water management.

Objectives

• Reduce water consumption through conservation • Reuse and recycle water resrouces wherever possible, using potable water only for potable needs • Managem stormwater and building water discharge within the district * Education & Green Infrastructure / LID

Goal

Achieve net zero energy usage annually.

Goal

Provide access to clean and aﬀordable transportation options.

Objectives

• Provide accessible services through mixed-uses and improved street access • Prioritize active transportation • Reduce vehicle miles traveled • Use low and zero emission vehicles * Create safe streets for multimodal users, pedestrians, and children at play

Objectives

• Conserve energy use by minimizing demand and maximizing conservation • Optimize infrastructure performance at all scales • Use renewable energy * Include educataional goals and programming

* The EcoDistricts Protocol. EcoDistricts (formerly Portland Sustainability Institute), 2014. www.ecodistricts.com .org

LEED ND Scorecard 1.7

1.8

1.2

1.4

1.3

1.6

1.5 1.1

1 Smart Location & Linkage

1.9

27 Points Possible 5 Prerequisites

Prereq. 1 Prereq. 2 Prereq. 3 Prereq. 4 Prereq. 5

3.4

3.3

Smart Location Imperiled Species & Ecological Communities Wetland & Water Body Conservation Agricultural Land Conservation Floodplain Avoidance

4.1.1

4 Innovation &

4.1.2

4.1.3

4.1.4

4.1.5

4.2

Design Process

3.2

6 Points Possible

3.5 3.1

3 Green Infrastructure & Buildings

2.1

29 Points Possible 4 Prerequisites

3.6 3.9

3.7

3.10

Prereq. 1 Prereq. 2 Prereq. 3 Prereq. 4

2.13

Certified Green Building Minimum Building Energy Efficiency Minimum Building Water Efficiency Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

2 Neighborhood Pattern & Design

3.8

2.3

29 Points Possible 3 Prerequisites

3.13 3.15 3.16

3.11

3.12

5.1.1

2.2

Prereq. 1 Walkable Streets Prereq. 2 Compact Development Prereq. 3 Connected & Open Community

5 Regional

2.8

Priority Credit 4 Points Possible

3.14

3.17

2.15

5.1.2

2.7

5.1.4

2.9

2.4

5.1.3

2.12

2.6 Adapted from LEED ND / © USGBC

2.14 2.5

2.10

2.11

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Preferred Locations / 10 points possible Brownfield Redevelopment / 2 points possible Location w/ Reduced Automobile Dependence / 7 points possible Bicycle Network & Storage / 1 point possible Housing & Jobs Proximity / 3 points possible Steep Slope Protection / 1 point possible Site Design for Habitat or Wetland & Water Body Conservation / 1 Restoration of Habitat / Wetlands & Water Bodies / 1 point possible Long-Term Conservation Management / 1 point possible

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Walkable Streets / 12 points possible Compact Development / 6 points possible Mixed-Use Neighborhood Centers / 4 points possible Mixed Income Diverse Communities / 7 points possible Reduced Parking Footprint / 1 point possible Street Network / 2 points possible Transit Facilities / 1 point possible Transportation Demand Management / 2 points possible Access to Civic and Public Spaces / 1 point possible Access to Recreation Facilities / 1 point possible Visitability & Universal Design / 1 point possible Community Outreach & Involvement / 2 points possible Local Food Production / 1 point possible Tree-Lined & Shaded Streets / 2 points possible Neighborhood Schools / 1 point possible

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Certified Green Buildings / 5 points possible Building Energy Efficiency / 2 points possible Building Water Efficiency / 1 point possible Water-Efficient Landscaping / 1 point possible Existing Building Use / 1 point possible Historic Resource Preservation & Adaptive Reuse/ 1 point possible Minimized Site Disturbance / 1 point possible Stormwater Management / 4 points possible Heat Island Reduction / 1 point possible Solar Orientation / 1 point possible On-Site Renewable Energy Sources / 3 points possible District Heating and Cooling / 2 points possible Infrastructure Energy Efficiency / 1 point possible Wastewater Management / 2 points possible Recycled Content in Infrastructure / 1 point possible Solid Waste Management Infrastructure / 1 point possible Light Pollution Reduction / 1 point possible

1.1 - 1.5 Innovation & Exemplary Performance / 5 points possible 2 LEED Accredited Professional / 1 point possible

1.1 - 1.4 Regional Priority Credit: Region Defined / 4 points possible

2 Hou si n g Rethinking housing – as opposed to houses – is critical for the cities of the twenty-first century. In some locations – such as those where historical housing stock is worth preservation – it may be more difficult to enact broad changes in the way that urbanites dwell – but new developments should follow several fairly simple rules to encourage young families to stay in the city.

IJburg Left: Block 126 on Steigereiland, designed by VMX Architects / Vesteda has highly flexible ground floor spaces – with garage door sliders that can be opened in fine weather to create a semi-public indoor-outdoor space, or closed for greater privacy and security, or in cooler weather.

There are many successful examples of low to mid-rise buildings which prioritize individual front doors, and access to private (or semi-private) outdoor space in the cities studied above. Where possible, units should have access to car-free outdoor space just outside their front doors. Units for families need more bedrooms, and more storage – bigger closets with smaller bedrooms are a selling point in the article about Vancouver included on the next pages. As have Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, Vancouver has been successful at getting, and keeping, families in the central city. Passive surveillance is important to parents’ sense of security, and children’s safety: windows that afford views onto interior courtyards, and semi-private outdoor spaces make it easier for children to feel independent, while being within view. Parks and green spaces adjacent to housing are also critical. Even small parks or parklets can make a huge difference in the way that people live. A small apartment or attached housing unit can be expanded substantially by the provision outdoor spaces arranged hierarchically, from private, to public. Well-defined thresholds help children and parents to feel safe, while providing room for children’s territorial ranges to expand as they grow older and more comfortable navigating the city around them. Outdoor spaces need not be large – small nooks and crannies, a recessed bench along a quiet street, a single street tree, a stretch of sidewalk for chalk drawings, or even a mud puddle can send a child’s imagination soaring. Small corners of garden where children can dig for worms, or watch flowers blossom can spark a lifelong love of nature.

Below: Typical terrace housing axon showing relationship of street to floor plan to rear gardens and courtyards. Designers of housing in IJburg were asked to place particular emphasis on personalized access to the outdoors: through balconies, terraces, private gardens, courtyards, and seaside promenades.

Ørestad / 8House by Bjarke Ingels Group Architects

Second Floor / Apartments

First Floor / Townhouses Climbing Path / Penthouses Green Roof 8Tallet Café

Ground Floor / Businesses

Climbing Path / Townhouses

3 P la y P l a c es

P l a y p l a c e s – Programs & Elements – Plan Comparison 10 m

Play places are addressed in much greater detail in the following slides. A new literature promoting and explaining Nature Play and Learning Places (Louv 2008, Moore 2014, Gill 2014, etc.) is burgeoning, and a growing body of research affirms the benefits for children – and the environment – of engagement with nature. Creative engagement, and the allowance of unstructured, child-driven free play seems to produce the best results (Gill 2014).

Sønder Blvd

Prags Blvd

Lumaparken

Beuningenplein

Potgieterstraat

Superkilen

playground

sport ‘cage’

sport court

Whatever the size of the space available, opportunities to create play places that protect and enhance physical and mental wellbeing abound. Parks and gardens have long considered microcosmic landscapes that represent the landscapes of the larger world beyond their bounds. For children, play in a sandbox may help them relate to the soil, beaches, and mountains, of the land beyond the city. Habitat creation for bugs, amphibians, birds, and small mammals is relatively easy to add to a space of any size, but can stimulate curiosity, wonder, and imagination for young children. Walking along tree-lined streets has been suggested as a therapy for ADD and ADHD, and even in small doses, exposure to the living things of the natural world, can have big effects. The 21st century parks and playgrounds studied in Europe all share one extraordinary feature: they all disrupt the hegemony of automobility. The linear and wedge parks, force traffic to slow down, or find another way, through their closure of lanes of traffic, and increasing of pedestrian crossings, and foot and bicycle traffic. Potgieterstraat, the smallest playground, took over half a block, transforming parking spaces and busy traffic in front of a school, into a dedicated car-free place for play and socializing. Beuningenplein and Lumparken both bury the parking: underground lots provide for needed car parking spaces, but leave the ground plain car-free, and green, for the safe enjoyment of children, families, and all urban dwellers. Critically, play places are not just for toddlers. Children and youths, young people, adults, and the elderly can all benefit from greener, safer places to stay (or play) along the way.

nature play

skate park

garden

lawn

splash feature

stages

seating / café 100 m

Travel Research: Three Exemplary Cities Summer 2014

Amsterdam

Copenhagen

Stockholm

Amsterdam Ecodistricts

Housing

Play Places

IJburg IJburg Potgieterstraat

ÂŠ 2009 Cousins, Design Quality in New Housing: Learning from the Netherlands

Beuningenplein GWL Terrein

GWL Terrein

Copenhagen Ecodistricts

Housing

Play Places

Ørestad

Sønder Blvd.

Ørestad Ørestad North

Amager Faelled

Green Roof + Daylighting Semi-Private Penthouse Garden

Ørestad City

Ørestad South

Vertical Circulation

8-House Apartments with Balconies

Semi-Private Townhouse Garden Climbing Path Retail &/or Storage © t58t.wordpress.com/vaerkanalyse

Prags Blvd.

The Hammarby model

Ecodistricts

Stockholm Play Places

Hammarby-Sjöstad Energy

Högdalen’s combined heat and power plant

Biofuel

Hammarby heat plant

Biosolids ict h eat ing

lec

wast

B i ogas e

te Organic was

Biog a

ging

The sea

ste

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Sjöstaden’s and Henriksdal’s wastewater treatment plants

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ka pac

Equalizer

Lake Hammarby Sjö

Lake Mälaren/drinking water plant

B i osolids

Drink

Biofu

ible

ater

ust

s t ew

Environmentally friendly electricity

ic str

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Purified wastewater

Distr

Sedimentation

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Lumaparken

Applied Research

1. Restoring Childhood Habitats

2. Elements of (Nature) Play

3. Boston Context and Site Design

Cities Redesigned for Living Kiley, Eckbo, and Rose (1939)

“The urban dweller requires a complete, evenly distributed, and flexible system providing all types of recreation for persons of every age, interest, and sex.”

The Recreational System is composed of seven elements

1. Play Lot 2. Children’s Playground 3. District Playfield 4. Urban Park 5. Country Park & Greenbelts 6. Special Areas 7. Parkways & Freeways Kiley, Eckbo, & Rose 1939: 71

Minimum Spatial Requirements: 1 acre open space / 100 people 40.5 sq. m. / person 435 sq. ft. / person - - - - - - - - Designs Should Emphasize: 1. Integration 2.Multiple-Use 3. Greater Flexibility

“Two-thirds of the children attending playgrounds live within 3 blocks, 75% within 4; thus, intimate relation between dwelling and playground – uninterrupted by streets and highways – is essential.”

Acres of Open Space per 1,000 Residents (2000)

Restoring Childhood Habitats

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although playgrounds have been around for more than a century, play is needed now more than ever. As neighborhoods have become increasingly isolated and dependent on cars, as schools have become increasingly focused on teaching to the test, and as families have become increasingly reliant on large and small screens for entertainment,

our children need safe, communal spaces within walking distance where they can move their bodies, exercise their imaginations, and make friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in short, a place where they can play.â&#x20AC;? Darell Hammond, 2014 Once Upon a Playground, Brenda Biondo, Lebanon NH: ForeEdge

Childhood’s Domain Robin Moore (1986)

The Flowing Terrain

Habitats Around the Home

wandering pedestrian networks bicycles other ways of travelling getting through playing along the way topography hide and seekness harvesting found objects

Parks & Playgrounds

playgrounds in parks parks as playgrounds parks as scarce resource areas child-adult relations in parks hallowed ground? adventure playgrounds

Greens

home as haven transitional niches sheds and garages places for pets yards and gardens ‘backs,’ mews and alleys old and new town ‘fronts’ car places streets as playgrounds

school grounds fields greenway edges sports fields essential ingredients

Rough Ground & Abandoned Places a ‘meanwhile’ sanctuary woods fields farms building sites

Growing Up In Cities

United Nations Report on Childhood Kevin Lynch (1977)

“When asked about what they choose to do, the places they are interested in, how they spend their time, or how they would like to, the children do not talk much about school, the playground, or even their own private yards They talk about the street or courtyard, their own room if they have one, and, to a lesser degree, the sports facilities, the wastelands, the natural open spaces, and the center of the city. “...There are some interesting exceptions to this rule... the Tolucan children mention the streets much less often in describing their activities. Clearly, they are intimidated by the overbearing traffic that pours through their neighborhood. The streets themselves have no nooks or crannies; the sidewalks are narrow and lined with unrecessed facades and fences. the traffic pavements are patently dangerous. Thus, the children turn to the formal parks and playgrounds of the city, which fortunately are within their reach... “The shape of the local streets, stairs, and courtyards is important to these children: the paving, the trees, the safety, the suitability for informal play, the corners, doorways, nooks, and benches where they can meet their friend, the opportunities those places give them to slip away from the parental eye while still being thought safe and under general supervision” (Lynch, Growing Up in Cities, UNESCO 1977: 15, 21).

“Our greatest period of geographical experience is that found in each of us in our childhood. All children have an urge to explore the landscape around them, to learn about it, to give order to it, and to invest it with meaning – both shared and private.” Roger Hart, 1979 Children’s Experience of Place: 3

(Nature) Play Places

“The rudiments of knowledge imbibed through play are an essential part of education.”

– Mahatma Gandhi (Moore 1986: 1)

Elements of Nature Play & Learning Places Robin Moore (2014)

A growing body of research suggests that there are demonstrable health and well being benefits for children who spend time engaged with nature. And where there is no access to the outdoors, even tiny interventions can have huge impacts. Parks and playgrounds are meeting places, where relationships and communities grow. Increasing abundance, diversity, and affordance is the goal of any nature play area, no matter its size. “Affordance is “a quality of an object, or an environment, which allows an individual to perform an action.”* The abundance and diversity of vegetation create habitat for a broader range of insect, amphibian, bird, and small mammal species, which have the power to surprise and delight children. *Moore 2014: 40, op. cit.: Van Lier, L. 2004. The ecology and semiotics of language learning: A sociocultural perspective. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Entrances Pathways Boundaries Plants Trees Shrubs Perennial Plants Permanent Edible Plants Vegetable Gardens Annual Plants Natural Surfacing Natural Loose Parts Natural Construction Natural Play Structures Multipurpose Lawns Meadows Woodland Landform Animals Aquatics Sand, Soil Dirt Gathering Program Base & Storage Performance Signage

Moore (2014), Nature Play & Learning Places

(Nature) Play Places

22”

Traditional Playground Equipment

h >15”

safety surfacing = 2h x 6’

Natural Play Structures “Permanent play structures can be built from natural materials such as logs and rocks with possible cost savings.” Affordances • Support gross motor play. And encourage strength and balance building. • Support dramatic play in settings such as playhouses, enclosures, and stacks logs and rocks, decks, stages. (Moore 2014: 87)

Walking Wall

Plants “Plants and associated animal life are the crucial ingredients of nature play and learning spaces. The infinite affordances of plants can create a highly interactive environment, greatly extending the range of possible play and learning activity as well as providing aesthetic enhancement for all ages.” What Plants Offer “The diversity and multiple affordances of plants offer many other unique qualities as an eco-service to nature and play learning.” • Manipulability • Sensory stimulation • Dramatic play • Shade • Indoor-outdoor transitions • Integrate life into activity settings • Interdisciplinary outdoor classroom • Space making • Creating a sense of place • Communicate seasonal cycles • Show where food comes from • Show where medicines come from

(Moore 2014: 74-76)

Sand, Soil, Dirt “Because of its softness and malleability, sand is one of the most popular play materials. It is easy to move and mold. It can be dug, sifted, sculpted, poured, and drawn upon. Combined with water, it provides even more opportunities for creative and imaginative play. “Natural loose parts such as twigs, fallen leaves, and small stones help children create imaginary worlds in sandy settings and places such as the dirt between tree roots. Symbolically it is like playing with the surface of the planet. Soil is critical to life and therefore has high educational value.”

Zen Pebble Garden, Japan

http://www.1001gardens.org/2014/07/20-mud-kitchen-ideas/

Affordances • Engage children in creative, imaginary experience. • Provide exploration of the sensory qualities of soil/dirt. • Offer opportunities for collaborative social interaction. Considerations “Enclose sand play settings to keep the sand from migrating... The setting itself should be at least 2 feet deep with good drainage... a net cover can be used to keep animals out of the sand. Rain, air, and sunshine will clean the sand. Do not use an airtight cover, as this will make the sand rancid. Provide access to water, preferably within the sand play setting itself.” (Moore 2014: 96) Blue Lake Park © learninglandscapesdesign.com

Meadows “Technically, meadows are fields of grass and other non-woody plants managed as “wild” ecosystems to attract diverse wildlife for children to observe and enjoy as they explore and play in the tall plants. Meadow habitats may occur naturally or they can be created from cleared woodland...” (Moore 2014: 89)

Lawn “Flat and/or undulating grassy areas are often considered essential to any play and learning space, especially for the emerging walker. However, a lawn may not be justified if the overall space is relatively small or soil conditions or irrigation will not naturally support lawn turf.” (Moore 2014: 88) © landperspectives.wordpress.com

Woodland “Patches of existing remnant woodland, with modest design and management intervention (adding primary pathways to improve access, for example), can provide a ready-made nature play and learning offering a multitude of affordances. Woodland settings can be created by design and appropriate management, although they are more challenging and time dependent...” (Moore 2014: 88)

Natural Loose Parts “Children can transform virtually any natural, small loose object into a prop to afford dramatic and constructive play. Examples include insects, worms, cattails, pinecones, driftwood, leaves, twigs, seeds, shells, rocks, dirt, sand, and many more. Larger natural objects such as logs and stones may not be “loose” in the sense of being easily manipulated, liftable, and transportable from place to place, but they may be turned over to see what’s living underneath or rolled around to create spaces.” Affordances • Provide children opportunities to manipulate the environment and transform it into imaginary worlds. • Extend the play and learning possibilites of any nature play and learning space. “Nature is a huge supplier of free loose and movable parts. Downed or decaying limbs and sticks can be harvested for use as loose parts. Logs, rocks, and larger pieces of timber can also be added. Dramatic play can be enhanced by adding manufactured items such as sawn lumber, pieces of textile, sections of plastic pipe, pieces of rope, sheets of heavy cardboard, reused containers, and repurposed scraps of all kinds. Dress-up clothes and play props such as animal tails, ears, and facemasks can extend dramatic play possibilities.” (Moore 2014: 85)

4.40

4.39

4.41 © Moore 2014, natureplayandlearning.org

nAtURAL LooSe PARtS

4.39 There is something

Children can transform virtually any natural, small loose object into a prop to afford dramatic and constructive play. Examples include insects, worms, cattails, pinecones, driftwood, leaves, twigs, seeds, shells, rocks, dirt, sand, and many more. Larger natural objects such as logs and stones may not be “loose” in the sense of being easily manipulated, liftable, and transportable for place to place, but they may be turned over to see what’s living underneath or rolled around to create spaces.

magical about the way children create assemblages of natural loose parts, which symbolize something concrete to the maker and appear otherworldly to an adult outsider. Here, parts of the surrounding plants provide everything required. Nature PlayScape, Cincinnati

Natural loose and movable part affordances

Nature Center, OH (Case

Dramatic play can be enhanced by adding manufactured items such as sawn lumber, pieces of textile,

• Provide children opportunities to manipulate

sections of plastic pipe, pieces of rope, sheets of

the environment and transform it into imagi-

heavy cardboard, reused containers, and repur-

nary worlds.

posed safe scrap of all kinds. Dress-up clothes and

• Extend the play and learning possibilities of any nature play and learning space.

play props such as animal tails, ears, and facemasks can extend dramatic play possibilities.

Study 6). 4.40 A few sticks, fallen leaves, and pieces of rotting log. What is it? You would need to ask but please do not interrupt this child’s reverie. Nature PlayScape, Cincinnati Nature Center, OH (Case Study 6).

Considerations

Adjacencies

4.41 Larger scale loose parts

Animals & Natural Habitat “Animals are an endless source of wonder for children. Play with animals may foster a caring attitude, a sense of responsibility toward living things, and empathy for life. They offer many opportunities for multidisciplinary learning. When children interact with animals, they invest in them emotionally. Animals can provide a powerful therapeutic effect. They are a meaningful socializing medium. They provide companionship in non-threatening ways, which is especially effective for children with low self-esteem. Caring for animals can produce a strong sense of personal competence and pride. Many types of beneficial animals (insects, amphibians birds. small mammals) can be attracted to nature play and learning spaces by selecting relevant plants used for food and shelter (especially those producing nectar or bearing fruit, cones, and seeds).” (Moore: 92)

Landform “Landforms are a fundamental characteristic of the terrestrial environment. They may already exist as a site feature or be created as part of the design. They motivate play and stimulate learning about relationships between aspect, sunlights, drainage patterns, and vegetation – including erosion and soil conservation. Landforms, major and minor, increase landscape diversity and extend the potential for play and learning.” Affordances • Encourage fantasy play, orientation skills, and hide-and-seek games. • Provide lookout spots (prospect and refuge) from which children can observe their surroundings. • Add visual interest and complexity to a site. • Motivate rolling crawling, sliding, balancing and jumping – activities that stimulate the vestibular and kinesthetic senses. Considerations “Mounds with varied slopes are fun for all children and can be used to increase visual complexity and screen undesirable views. Landforms integrated with fixed structures many enhance play value and protect steep grades from erosion...” (Moore 2014: 91) © Carve / landezine.com

Aquatics & Water Features Affordances • Engage children in hands-on, multi-sensory experience. • Provide direct experience of aquatic wildlife in and around water. “Streams, ponds, and marshes occur naturally but also may be intentionally designed, each with its own challenges as a play and learning setting... Naturally occurring aquatic settings have a distinct advantage over designed settings. Because they are not artificially provided, they are not subject to local health and safety regulations like new construction would be (although water quality and/or habitat preservation regulations may apply). However, risk management protocols are still relevant.” (Moore 2014: 94)

Gathering Places Affordances • Broaden opportunities for children to develop social relationship with peers and adults. • Support dramatic play. • Strengthen existing social relations. • Build community social capital. • Offer educators functional learning environments for activities and lessons. • Provide playworkers programmatic infrastructure. • Hangout area for parents. “Design gathering spaces to accommodate groups of different sizes. Locate small intimate settings where children can play quietly , socialize in small groups or withdraw from the noise and distractions of more boisterous activities.” (Moore 2014: 97)

Performance Spaces Affordances • Stimulate self-expression. • Encourage teamwork. • Foster a sense of community. • Help create a “culture of place.” “The need for large gathering settings is frequently overlooked during the design programming process. Often, the organization has not fully considered how new nature play and learning space will be an attractive venue for community special events... ” (Moore 2014: 99)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Children should be able to do their own experimenting, their own research... In order for a child to understand something he must construct it for himself, he must reinvent it... if in the future individuals are to be formed who are capable of creativity and not simply repetition.â&#x20AC;? Jean Piaget Moore, 1986: 10

Boston Context and Site Design

East Boston

Massachusetts Schools, 2013

City of Boston

Charlestown

Allston Brighton

East Boston North Beacon End Hill Downtown Back Bay Chinatown S. Boston Fenway Waterfront South End South Boston Mission Hill Roxbury

Jamaica Plain Dorchester

West Roxbury

Roslindale Mattapan

Hyde Park

Harbor Islands

BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS: Top 10 Countries of Birth for Foreign-Born Population

CHARLEST CHAR CH CHARLESTO H RLEST S OW OWN O WN WN g 2,313 3 foreign born

Font size is proportional to the foreign-born population within each neighborhood.

EASTT B BO BOST O TON gn 20,611 foreig born

WEST W ST END END EN

ALLSTO AL ALLST TON TO

1,052 052

ore ore or eiig gn 6,337 fo bo orn

NOR NO N ORT R H EN ND

foreign fore fo re eign ig gn g bor o orn r

oreign gn 8800 fborn 880 bo bo

BEACON BEAC NHILL ILLL

DOWNT NTO NT TOWN N

fore eign eign g 1 163 born 1,163 n

FENWA FENW NWAY WAY

g 7,601 77,6 ,601 6011 foreign born n

ore or eig ign 5,439 for bor bo orn n

BACK BAY BA foreign g gn n 3 063 3,063 0 3 foreig born orn

SOUTH B STON BO BOS SSTTON WATERFRO WAT TE TE ONT ore eign ig g 1997 fore 197 born b orn

A LMA

gn 443 foreig born born n

BR RIGHTON 14,4494

foreign g born

MISSIO ON HIL HIL IILL L eign g 4,011 fore borrn rn

SOUTH BOSTON N

SO SOUTH END

gn gn 3,526 foreig born

eig eign g 7,354 54 foreig bor orn

ROXBURY

Diversity Top Ten Countries of Birth for Foreign Born Population

JAMAICA PLAIN 7,549

g 10,791 foreign born

foreign g born

DORCHESTER HE HES ES ore ore eign gn g n 34,247 bffooreign orn or rn

Boston Redevelopment Authority

WEST ROXBURY g 10,791 foreign born

ROSLINDALE fo g for 7,906 foreign b rn born n

MATTAPAN g 8,585 foreign born

HYDE PARK

2,460

2,410

2,583

2,553

2,651

2,583

3,136

2,863

3,731

3,477

5,528

4,051

6,591

5,830

7,262

6,636

14,542

City of Boston’s Top 20 Countries of Birth for Foreign Born Population

7,380

16,481

16,097

g 9,685 foreign born

East Boston has the second largest foreign-born population in Boston: 20,611 residents in 2013. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey. Neighborhood boundaries based on a combination of Census Tracts, Zip Codes, and Zoning Districts. Map produced by BRA Ofﬁce of Digital Cartography & GIS. Data by BRA Research Division.

2010 Populaton Density by Census Block

Population Density By 2010 Census Block

Population Density:Children Youth & Children 0 to 17 years Ages 0 -17 Boston Census 2010 Demographics

Charlestown

East Boston

CHARLESTOWN

EAST BOSTON

2010 Populaton Density by Census Block

BEACON HILL

Fenway/ Kenmore

South Boston

ALLSTON/BRIGHTON

Children 0 to 17 years

pulaton Density by Census Block

Harbor Islands

South Boston

ALLSTON/BRIGHTON

West Roxbury

JAMAICA PLAIN

DOWNTOWN

CHINATOWN

BACK BAY

SOUTH DORCHESTER SOUTH END

FENWAY/ KENMORE

Roslindale

SOUTH BOSTON

CHARLESTOWN

East Boston Hyde Park

Population Density

(persons per acre, by census block)

501 - 1,628 101 - 500 51 - 100 31 - 50

Roslindale

16 - 30 0 - 15

Mattapan

WEST ROXBURY

None

(persons per acre, by census block)

501 - 1,628 101 - 500 51 - 100

Fenway/ Kenmore 31 - 50 16 - 30 0 - 15 None

Source: U.S. Census 2010, SF1.

T:\DCGIS_Administration\CITYWIDE\CENSUS_Misc\Census2010 Demographics\Pop Density 2010.mxd

Back Bay/ Beacon Hill

Population Density

Source: U.S. Census 2010, SF1.

Central

Planning District Boundary

ALLSTON/BRIGHTON 0

Miles

MATTAPAN HARBOR ISLANDS

NORTH DORCHESTER JAMAICA PLAIN

EAST BOSTON 0 to 17 years HYDE PARK SOUTH DORCHESTER

WEST END

NORTH END

Jamaica Plain

Non-residential area

Map produced by the Office of Digital Cartography & GIS, BRA. November 2011. Source: U.S. Census 2010, SF1.

as % of total population, by census block

0% - 7% 8% - 15%

South Boston

16% - 24% 25% - 35%

SOUTH END

FENWAY/ 36% - 83% Non-residential area KENMORE Map produced by the Office of Digital Cartography & GIS, BRA. November 2011. Source: U.S. Census 2010, SF1.

North Dorchester

36% - 83%

DOWNTOWN

CHINATOWN

BACK BAY

0 to 17 years

25% - 35%

SOUTH BOSTON 1

2 Miles

BOST ON

ROXBURY

Roxbury

8% - 15% 16% - 24%

BEACON HILL

MATTAPAN

HYDE PARK

as % of total population, by census block

0% - 7%

ROSLINDALE

South End

Planning District Boundary

BOST ON

ROXBURY

Charlestown

ROSLINDALE

WEST ROXBURY

T:\DCGIS_Administration\CITYWIDE\CENSUS_Misc\Census2010 Demographics\Pop Density 2010.mxd

Harbor Islands

South Dorchester

Hyde Park

BEACON HILL

HARBOR ISLANDS

NORTH DORCHESTER

NORTH END

WEST END

BOST ON

ROXBURY EAST BOSTON

Mattapan North Dorchester

Jamaica Plain

Allston/Brighton

SOUTH BOSTON

South Dorchester

South End

West Roxbury

North Dorchester

Children 0 to 17 years

Central

Roxbury

SOUTH END

CHARLESTOWN

Roxbury

Back Bay/ Beacon Hill Fenway/ Kenmore

FENWAY/ KENMORE

Boston Census 2010 Demographics

East Boston

Jamaica Plain

Allston/Brighton

DOWNTOWN

CHINATOWN

BACK BAY

Boston Census 2010 Demographics

South End

Charlestown

NORTH END

WEST END

Central Back Bay/ Beacon Hill

Allston/Brighton

Harbor Islands

NORTH DORCHESTER JAMAICA PLAIN

HARBOR ISLANDS

2 Miles

Population Density: Youth & Children Ages 0 -17 Revere

Neighborhoods

Suﬀolk Downs

Orient Heights Chelsea

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Harborview

Constitution Beach

Eagle Hill ill H

le H

Eag

ict

istr

ri isto

Winchester

Population Density – 0 to 1 7 years as % of total population, by c ens us bloc k

0% - 7 %

Maverick Square

8% - 1 5% 1 6% - 24% 25% - 3 5% 36% - 83% Non-residential area

Jeﬀries Point Boston Logan International Airport

Topography Drumlins plus Fill

Open Space Availability & Parks Need Score

Parks Service Areas & Need Scores Publicly Accessible Open Space Other Open Space Park Need Score Least Need

Most Need

Boston Indicators Project Children & Youth Boston Foundation / bostonindicators.org

“Children mirror a community’s values, progress and challenges. If a community’s children are thriving, it is likely that the whole community is doing well. The Boston Indicators Project tracks progress through 2030—Boston’s 400th Anniversary—when many of today’s children and youth will be civic, political and business leaders and their children will be in school. As the most diverse segment of Boston’s population – more than 75% of color in 2010 – Boston’s children and youth need adult support of many kinds to develop to their full potential. Creating safe, nurturing places where all children can grow and develop their unique gifts is a responsibility of all adult members of a society. This cross-cut filter provides key information on the status of Boston’s children across all sectors, making it possible to track progress and understand challenges in critical areas such as health, education, safety, housing, community participation and access to resources such as open space, creative outlets, and education.” http://www.bostonindicators.org/indicators/children-and-youth

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...kids arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as fragile as we tend to think. They are born with strengths and abilities to cope with adversity, learn from their mistakes, and mature into responsible, competent adults. Yet they cannot develop and energize their inner resources unless we allow them the opportunities to do so.â&#x20AC;? Kenneth Ginsburg, Building Resilience in Children and Teens, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011: 21.

ORIENT HEIGHTS

Urban Acupuncture | Opportunity Sites

EAGLE HILL

HARBORVIEW

CENTRAL SQUARE

PARIS FLATS

LOGAN AIRPORT

MAVERICK SQUARE

DESIGN INTERVENTIONS Additional Opportunity Sites

JEFFRIES POINT

Schools as Opportunity Sites Existing Parks and Open Space

1 Brophy Park

0’

50’

100’

200’

2 Eagle Hill Pocket Parks East Boston High School

n o M

th u o

1 White Street at Monmouth

ee r t S

White Street

t ta Eu

ee r t S

2 White Street at Eutaw 0’

50’

100’

200’

Putnam Square, Eagle Hill

White Street

to n e Tr

ee r t S

3 Putnam Square 0’

50’

100’

200’

Prescott Square, Eagle Hill

Eagle Street

o t n Tr e

ee r t S

4 Prescott Square 0’

50’

100’

200’

3 Central Square

0’

50’

100’

200’

4 Orient Heights

0’

50’

100’

200’

“Play is learning.”

– Robin Moore

Annie Palone

university of texas at austin school of architecture