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Parks & Playgrounds Pa s t , Po l i t i c s , Pro p os a l s
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Past In the mid to late 1800’s, due mainly to the industrial revolution and mass immigration, the populations of America’s cities exploded. A rising problem as a result was that many children were forced to play in unsuper vised, unsafe conditions and in general, there was a rise in child injur y and youth crime, including thef t, vandalism, even violence. In response to this, philanthropists founded what was to be called The Playground Movement, and founded organizations like the P.A .A . (Play ground Association of America), and later, The N.R.A . (National Recreation Association). At first the playspaces they built were little more than outdoor areas designated for super vised play, or large sand pit areas. But soon gymnasiums began to create outdoor areas using gymnasium equipment.
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NYC Street kids circa 1890.
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The movement began on the east coast, but the first actual public children’s playground was built in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 1887. The park included a steam-powered carousel, and several swing sets with enclosed seats. Soon as the movement gained momentum, the public schools were urged to install adjacent playgrounds, and the park commissions of all the major cities to build new parks and playgrounds. The equipment on these playgrounds began to resemble what we know today; swingsets, slides etc. The first standards for playground equipment safety were set by the NRA in 1929 but by the 1940’s not much had been changed.
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Golden Gate Children’s playground 1890’s
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During this time however there was a kind of Renaissance in playground design. New theories on child development and psychology, led people to tr y to design more stimulating play environments. Ar tists, architects and designers began designing what were some of the most innovative and creative playspaces ever built. Designers included famed ar tists like Isamu Nouguchi. Even companys which made mass produced playground equipment were hiring inustrial designers to create new equipment. Creative Playthings / Play Sculptures, one of the leading manufacturers, even built a playground at an American exhibition in Moscow. The experimental playground was near exhibits by the Eames’ and not ver y far from R. Buckminster Fuller’s Geodesic Dome. This phenomenon of new playspace design had star ted out in Europe, but soon spread to playgrounds all over the world. Some of the most amazing playgrounds being built in Japan.
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Japan 1950’s
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New kinds of concepts sprung up in the 60’s, including “Adventure Playgrounds” which were freeform playgrounds made of ten of recycled materials, constructed by children under adult super vision.
Japan 1960’s
All of this was to be shor t lived in the United States however.
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Politics In the 40’s 50’s and 60’s the standard play sur faces for most school play grounds were concrete and asphalt. By the 1970’s repor ts were written showing that most child injuries in playgrounds were due mainly to falls on to hard sur faces. In the 1980’s due to tons of lawsuits (many based on relatively minor child injuries), the playground industr y began following the standards set up by the C.P.S.C. (Consumer Products Safety Commission) to the letter. This isn’t to say that there wasn’t cause for concern, each year many children were sent to the emergency room due to injuries related to play ground equipment. But the reaction was swif t and many including myself would say it was an over-reaction. By 2000, four states — California, Michigan, New Jersey and Texas — had passed laws about playground design. And monkey bars were removed from almost all school playgrounds.
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The major manufacturers were quick to cash in on this trend. They designed and mass produced prefabricataed playgrounds with greatly reduced heights and flooring made from foam rubber. By the year 2000, some elementar y schools even adopted “No Running” rules in their playgrounds. This has caused a divide between parents advocating safe playgrounds with fewer oppor tunities for falling of f play equipment, and parents who worr y that a safe playground is a boring playground that will do little to stimulate a child’s imagination. I side with the latter and I will add to it. In my opinion, these safe and boring playgrounds will not be used and that kids seeking an adventure will go elsewhere to play where they will likely be unsuper vised and more prone to serious injur y. Or even worse, kids will stop playing outside altogether. Child obesity is possibly a greater
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HO-HUM…
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threat to children’s health than play equipment could ever be. As children develop, they need a cer tain amount of risk. They constantly test themselves to figure out their limitations. When I was a child, making it to the top of the monkey bars was a challenge‌falling of f of them and having the wind knocked out of me a lesson. being able to face a fear of heights and to be able to overcome it did a lot to develop my self esteem. I feel that these are essential moments of childhood development, and that these moments of fear and triumph helped to make me who I am. I believe that it is possible to design a playstructure which challanges a child’s fear of heights without comprimising safety.
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USA 1950’s
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Proposal I propose to build a modular play structure that in par t is made out of clear polymers. The structure would at least par tially be enclosed save ample ventilation. By having this transparent structure, the illusion of height can be simulated, and the height of the “floor� can be increased without ever putting the child in any real danger of falling. The child can walk or crawl transparent sur faces, be able to look down, and have the feelings of fear. Perhaps this material can be added to pre-existing playgrounds as well. The feeling of height can be amplified by the use of landscaping. For example, if the structure is built on a hill, the child can look down over a larger landscape and the ground level will slope away. This increases the feeling of height due to their perception of ground level at the bottom of the hill. Also, visual tricks, normally associated with fine ar t can be utilized. Optical illusion, especially forced perspective can be designed into the structure, creating a more challenging play experience.
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Excitement
Looking Downhill
Trompe-l’œil
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