LEISURE
HOW CAN MULTI-USE GAMES AREAS IMPACT HEALTH AND WELLBEING? We are now living in a world where the outdoor public realm is at the heart of everything we do. We are recognising more and more the benefits of access to outdoor amenities for all ages. But how can we plan and change our spaces to create accessible amenities for the youth of today? asks Abbey Kirwin, Marketing Manager at Lightmain. often discuss creating W echild-friendly cities and focusing our designs on our ever-ageing society, but sometimes the youth of today can become the ‘forgotten’ ones when we plan for the public realm. Making spaces accessible can be seen from different viewpoints and there are numerous points to consider when we discuss this such as: Location – outdoor amenities that are targeted to youths should be located within the parameters of their local community, close to schools or their homes to make them reasonably accessible Age range – the term youth is often reflective of people aged 11 to 19, and there is a huge diversity of needs within this as their development paths vary Gender – often we forget the different needs of youths depending on their gender
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generations of youths and makes maintenance easier should there be any vandalism.
©Ricardo Lacombe
and we design for ‘all’ when personality traits and physical ability can hugely differ Inclusivity – youths of all ages and abilities need to be included to ensure the success of outdoor amenities. Whether they have a disability, physically, mentally, temporarily or permanently,
there are many ways to view how inclusivity can be planned for within these spaces. Material – using the correct materials makes sure we are providing spaces that are longlasting, durable and resistant, for heavy use. It means that outdoor provision can be used by
Although there are many more points to consider, gender is without a doubt a theme that should be made part of our discussions. ‘Make Space for Girls’ is a charity that is currently promoting the movement for consideration of teenage girls in outdoor provision. They point out that most outdoor areas for teenagers are often in the form of skate parks and multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and that these are regularly dominated by boys. Their research suggests that providing better lighting, pathways and wider entrances could help create better spaces for girls. One area in which we could also plan better would be by providing opportunities for sport for girls – for example, rather than just providing for
