In 2015, we visited 45 playgrounds in London and selected 16 to study, over a 6 month period. We collected data on over 18,000 people, which included age, gender, ethnicity, and activity levels.
We then compared the data to the National Study of Neighborhood Parks, focusing on San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. We found that the London playgrounds, with fewer “off the shelf” components, more unique design elements, and a diversity of play surfaces, had 53% more visitors and 16-18% higher physical activity levels in children and teens (P<.05) than the more traditional post and platform playgrounds in the US.
