THE EVOLUTION OF PLAYSPACESPlay forms an important part of a child's development, giving landscape architects'considerable influence on the development of society.' Here, we look at play .projects across Australia and the evolution of these spaces.WORDS EMMA SHEPPARD-SIMMS

01-02 CALAMVALE DISTRICTPARK IN BRISBANE BY THEBRISBANE CITY COUNCILFEATURES A SKYWALK BYKOMPAN.PHOTOGRAPHY:Ol: JASON DALEY.02: CRAIG PERRY.

"ALL [PLAYGROUNDS] ARE TEMPORARY

worlds within the ordinary world, dedicatedto the performance of an act apart."- Johan Huizinga, 1938'

In contemporary society play is often seenas the exclusive domain of children, or at besta sign of immaturity or frivolity in adults. Forexample, when we refer to "child's play," we referto something that is easy or simple, while "justplaying around" implies a lack of seriousness ordirection. In contrast, Huizinga's observationreveals the complexity of play as "an act apart"that involves the temporary suspension ofordinary life for an imaginary life - one inwhich ideas and activities are developed, testedand performed within a safe environment. In1974, environmental psychologists Hayward,Rothenburg and Beasley noted that:

... the opportunity to play enhancesone's ability to initiate independent activity- activity which is crucial to the explorationand construction of one's autonomy, identityand self-image as a constructive force.^

When seen from this perspective, play isan essential part ofthe formation of identity:a process that is common to both children andadults throughout their lives. In fact, playspace

designers may exert considerable influenceon the development of society, so our task iscomplex and deserves careful consideration.

Playgrounds are particularly interestingplaces as they reflect changing philosophiesconcerning the role of play and the place ofchildren within Australian society. For example,if we contrast the brightly coloured adventureplay sets that occupy many contemporaryplaygrounds today with the functional "fourSs" (swing, sandbox, slide and seesaw) popularIn the postwar era, we might conclude thatsociety has become more attuned to the needsand wants of children over the past fifty years.Yet many play theorists are still expressingconcerns about the decline of unstructured andoutdoors play while drawing links to the risein childhood health concerns such as obesity,depression and attention deficit disorder.

The reasons for this decline in outdoorsplay are complex and varied and range fromconcerns for child safety ("stranger danger"and bullying), the densification of urbanneighbourhoods and a general lack of openspace where new play areas might be built.In a recent CSIRO publication. The Life andDeath of the Australian Backyard, Professor

Tony Hall notes that the recent popularityofthe manicured landscapes popularizedin TV shows like Backyard Blitz has resultedin the decline ofthe traditional suburbanbackyard'' - traditionally a safe place wherechildren could engage in imaginative andopen-ended play away from the constantsupervision of adults. The problem is twofold- firstly, children often do not have accessto public or private outdoor environmentswhere they can play. Secondly, even whenthese spaces are available for children, manyparents are reluctant to let their children playin them out of concerns about their safety.

In relation to this, some commentatorshave expressed concerns about society'stendencies towards indoors play. US childadvocate and writer Richard Louv's bookLast Child in the Woods discusses what heterms "nature deficit disorder,"" or a growingdisconnection of children from the naturalelements and processes that make up thephysical world around us. Interestingly,he connects this to the future sustainabilityofthe planet, where if children have noknowledge ofthe natural world, why wouldthey care about what happens to it? Given >

"Playgrounds are particularlyinteresting places as they reflectchanging philosophies concerning therole of play and the place of childrenwithin Australian society."

I"'-; 04 CASEY FIELDS PLf\Y IS:ATED IN CRANBOURNE

LAST, MELBOURNE. DESIGNEDBY THE CITY OF CASEY, THESPACE IS ANCHORED AROUNDMANIPULATIONS IN THETOPOGRAPHY, IN PARTICULARA FIVE-METRE-HIGH,PARTIALLY GRASSED MOUND,WHICH IS A POPULAR SETTINGFOR CLIMBING AND ROLLING,PHOTOGRAPHY:DREW ECHBERG.

O5~O6 ARCHITECT DAVIDROCKWELL AND PLAYORGANIZATION KABOOMl'SIMAGINATION PLAYGROUNDIN BURLING SLIP, NEWYORK CITY, PHOTOGRAPHY:FRANK OUDEMAN.

these concerns, the question for designersis: How can we create optimum outdoorsenvironments for play in a society wherefear, control and regulation of play appearto be the norm?

There is some evidence that designersare beginning to challenge traditionalmodes of playground design by extendingthe role of playspaces to include a range ofdifferent social agendas. Here, two trends arediscernible. The first involves the rediscoveryof the adventure playground, which is onceagain gathering momentum in reaction tothe over-controlled and directed nature ofcontemporary play environments. The secondinvolves the potential for hybridization ofplayspaces - a situation where the spatialboundaries between adults' and children'sactivities are blurred as adults are increasinglyinvited into play domains, while opportunitiesfor play expand into the built environment.

Revival of the 'adventure'or 'imagination' playgroundThe adventure playground has long been seen

as a design type that encourages creative andimaginative play in outdoors environments;however, it has recently been revived as an ideain relation to debates about the over-directednature of children's play. Initially developed inthe 1930s as a means to provide children frompoor urban neighbourhoods with opportunitiesfor play, the first adventure or "junk"playgrounds were developed by the Danishlandscape architect Carl Theodor Sorensen, whonoticed that children were more interested inplaying in the raw vacant blocks and city streetsthat surrounded their homes than in the polishedand structured playgrounds he had designed.

Adventure playgrounds differ fromtraditional playgrounds in that they emphasizethe use of recycled, natural or found materialsrather than manufactured equipment, andhave a relatively flexible or informal layout.The broad aim is that children create their owngames, physical experiences and scenarioswhile programming the site according totheir own agendas. Significantly, adventureplaygrounds often incorporate some formof adult supervision, which allows for active

but safe play such as cooking, growing plantsand caring for animals as well as the use ofmovable tools, toys and scrap materials thatcan be packed away at the end of a session.While adventure playgrounds promote moreimaginative and open-ended play than iscurrently found in conventional playgrounds,their relatively messy appearance makesthem an unattractive proposition for manycommunities unfamiliar with their purpose.Furthermore, the provision and administrationof supervised playgrounds is often not anoption for smaller local playgrounds thatare funded by council budgets. As such,there are currently only five adventureplaygrounds in Australia. Nevertheless,these playgrounds are extremely popularand play a vital social role within their localcommunities. A good example is SkinnersAdventure Playground in South Melbourne,which caters primarily to disadvantagedchildren living in nearby public housing.

The idea of "loose parts" or theuse of movable playground components isone way in which open-ended play can be

43

designed into existing playgrounds whilemaintaining the structured look of traditionallydesigned spaces. Architect David Rockwelland play organization KaBOOM! have usedthis idea in their collaboration on the newImagination Playground in New York City.Their development of a "playground in a box"involves a kit that can be moved or retrofittedto different locations and which contains tools,construction materials and found objects thatcould be used within endless imaginativeplay scenarios. The first ImaginationPlayground was opened in 2010 in the seaportsuburb of Burling Slip in New York City.

In Australia, this concept has beendeveloped by not-for-profit organization Playfor Life, with its use of shipping containers or"pods" that can be moved around differentsites, including schools. As its website claims:

The Pod is a modifled shipping container,fliled with high quality "looseparts"piaymaterials. Clean, safe scrap, otherwise destinedfor landfill, is carefully selected and recycledfor use in the Pod. This can include anythingfrom old car tyres and steering wheels, to

cardboard tubing, milk crates, used keyboardsand telephones, fabric and dress-ups.

The concept of loose parts is essentiallyabout providing fiexible components for play,without directing what that should actuallyinvolve. As such, the idea could also extend tothe types of materials and spaces that designerscreate within playspaces. For example, sand andwater features, multifunctional elements suchas logs, boulders, cubbies and mounds, andmateriality based around sensory experiencesall provide endless opportunities for play.Essentially, the move back towards the adven-ture playground represents a growth in adults'trust that children know how to play and thatthey will play instinctively if provided with theright tools and a safe environment to do it in.

The hybridization of playspacesIt is also worth discussing the broader role ofplayspaces in the built environment. Concernsabout child safety have often resulted in theplayground being cordoned off as a placeexclusively for children and their parents.Adults are rarely encouraged to be in >

"AS THE ONLY ENGINEER ON THE AUSTRALIAN

Standards Committee for Children'sPlaygrounds I am often misrepresentedas being the person responsible fortaking the fun out of playspaces.

Those who have worked with me orattended the University of Technology, Sydneyplayground inspector training or design courseswill know that this statement is incorrect.

Society tasks engineers with the role ofrisk management. We design and build thingsthat society expects to work each and everytime they are used. We take a risk each timewe release new technology and yes, sometimeswe get it wrong. When we do get it wrong, itcan result in death. Risk management is notabout risk aversion; it is about embracing andcontrolling risk. In the context of playgroundsit is about enhancing childhood experienceand maximizing childhood development whileapplying a strict hazard-removal filter. Childrenneed and must be exposed to managed riskas a normal part of their development.

Standards provide rules for hazardremoval and the implementation ofacceptable risk tolerability levels, i.e. AsLow As is Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).

There are fundamentally two approachesto the application of risk management. Thefirst is a behavioural-based approach, whilethe second involves the application of ahierarchy of risk controls. Since playgroundsare considered unsupervised, we need torely on a hierarchy of risk control that isembedded within the playground design thatis codified within the Playground Standards.

As we say in the foreword to AS 4685,the primary purpose of a playground is tostimulate a child's imagination and provideexcitement and adventure in safe surroundings.

It is my opinion that it is theresponsibility of the landscape architectsand engineers to work in harmony and usethe latitude embedded in the PlaygroundStandards to make our playspaces as excitingand simulating as the budgets allow."

DAVID EAGERASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN RISK MANAGEMENTAT THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, THEUNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY.

0 7 - 0 8 CPG AUSTRALIA 'SROOKE RESERVE IS LOCATEDIN TRUGANINA, VICTORIA.THE PARKLAND INCLUDESA CENTRAL PLAYSPACE ANDDRY CREEK BED PLAYSCAPE,PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESYOF CPG AUSTRALIA.

OG A LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVESKETCH OF ROOKE RESERVE,IMAGE: COURTESY OF CPGAUSTRALIA.

playgrounds unless they are performing asupervisory role; in fact, the very presenceof adults in playgrounds is viewed withsome suspicion. This is problematic as it setsup a division between adults and childrenand contributes to misunderstandingsabout what play actually involves.

Recent examples of innovative designin Australia provide us with a focal point toreconsider the possibilities embedded inplayspaces. As places to gather, celebrate,educate, connect communities and performenvironmental roles such as water collectionand treatment, playspaces become importantpieces of urban infrastructure where playbecomes the locus for broader social goals.Three recent large-scale play projects inSydney typify this approach: BlaxlandRiverside Playground (JMD Design), DarlingQuarter (Aspect Studios) and Pimelea/LizardLog (McGregor Coxall/Fiona Robbe). In allof these designs, the playspace is not anisolated space, but is part of a wider spatialnetwork including Sydney Olympic Park, theDarling Harbour entertainment precinct andWestern Sydney Parklands respectively. Theseplayspaces enable exciting and innovative playexperiences, but are also important drawcardsthat encourage iarge groups of adults tocome and dwell within the public domain.

Landscape architect and playspacedesigner Fiona Robbe suggests that these mightbe called "family entertainment venues" ratherthan playspaces. They are places where families,community groups and friends may gatherfor long stretches of time for activities suchas picnics/barbecues, celebrations, reunionsand entertainment. Given these multiple

roles, amenities such as seating, barbecues,shelters, extensive areas of open grass andtoilets become vital to catering to large groups.

While adults are increasingly being invitedinto the space ofthe playground, play is lessoften seen as an important component of otherbuilt environment contexts. The very fact thatwe need playgrounds suggests that play is seenas inappropriate in other spatial domains - thinkofthe disapproval directed at groups of youthfor loitering in public spaces. In fact, many ofthe earliest playgrounds were developed in orderto encourage children playing in the streets to"go somewhere" - an idea that suggested aninterest in chiidren's welfare but which alsohad the effect of putting them out of sight andout of mind.

While there are many examples ofplayful public space designs - the moundedhills and sculptural installations at BirrarungMarr in Melbourne, the colourful and bolddesign of Room 4.1.3's Garden of AustralianDreams in Canberra, and the AILA's recentStreet Works installations throughout thestreets of Sydney - the deliberate inclusionof play opportunities within public spacedesign is less common. Often, public spacesare informally adapted as play environments,as anyone who iives in Sydney can attest -children's use ofthe concrete "slides" on theSydney Opera House forecourt; the regularinvasion of St Mary's Cathedral forecourtby teenage skateboarders. Considering thatchildren have equal rights to public space, it isparticularly important for designers to thinkabout how both children's and adults' playcan be included into a range of public areasbeyond that ofthe formal playground zone.

Overall, playspaces are essential in that theyprovide opportunities for children to testand develop a wide range of skills in a safe,child-directed environment. In an increasinglytechnological society, they also have animportant role to play in exposing children tooutdoors settings and the natural processesthat occur within them. Whiie manufacturedequipment provides a broad range of physicaland social experiences and will certainly remainpopular components of contemporary playspacedesign, it is also vital for designers to considerhow unstructured and open-ended imaginativeplay can be inserted into piaygrounds.

Recent examples of play design inAustralia indicate an exciting expansion ofthetraditional playground to incorporate socialand environmental functions while connectingwith broader open space networks. Potentially,the next step is to bring play out oftheplayground to permeate the built environmentin unexpected and delightful ways. Applied tomany of our ordinary and drab urban spaces,the "temporary world" ofthe playground couldbea wonderful generator of vitality in the builtenvironment for children and aduits alike.

The author would like to acknowledge Fiona Robbe forher expertise and insights, which aided in the compilingof this essay.

1. J. Huizinga, Homo ludens (trans. Man the Player)(London: Routledge. 1938).

2. G. Hayward, M. Rothenburg and R. Beasley, "Children'sPlay and Urban Playground Environments: A Comparisonof Traditional, Contemporary, and Adventure PlaygroundTypes," Environment and Behavior, voi 6,1974,131-168.

3. T. Hall, The Life and Death of die Australian Bacicyard(Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing. 2010).

4. R. Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Childrenfrom Nature-Deficit Disorder {Chapel Hill: AlgonquinBooks, 2005).

LANDSCAPE

10-12 LIZARD LOG (FORMERLYKNOWN AS PIMELEA PARK)WAS DESIGNED BY MCGREGORCOXALLAND FIONA ROBBELANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS ANDIS LOCATED IN WESTERNSYDNEY PARKLANDS, NEWSOUTH WALES. THE DESIGNRESPONDS TO THE RURALNATURE OF THE SITE ANDFEATURES SOLAR PANELS ANDGREY WATER. PHOTOGRAPHY:SIMON WOOD.

"DECADES OF RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT

children need opportunities forunstructured free play.

The outdoor spaces that best supportchildren's activities may well include playequipment, but it is highly likely that theywill also include something that is a littlerough and open-ended - some loose partsthat children can fiddle with, a special treethey can climb, some branches that can bemade into a cubby, some plants with leaves orfiowers that can be collected or a big rock thatcan become a ship or an island on demand.Or simply some dirt, sand or pebbles.

It is often hard to successfullyinclude such 'un-designed' elements intopublic places, schools or early childhoodcentres. It requires strong leadership andadvocacy on behalf of children to provideplanting that is specifically for their use,to provide sand or large river pebbles forthem to move around at will, or to hold fastagainst residents' complaints about mess.

Long considered subversive, theactivities of children have, since thelate 1800s, been frequently viewed assomething to be tamed and controlled; tothis day it takes a strong parks manageror school principal to allow a fort madeof branches to remain in a playspace.

It also costs a lot for local governmentsto maintain planting for play or to keep aneye on a park with sand and loose materials.

And it is asking a lot that a landscapearchitect might consider leaving somestretches of space relatively 'un-designed'but with a rich palette that invites thesesubversive ehild-directed activities to nourish.Yet this is what we must do as designers.

As 89 percent of Austrahans nowlive in urban environments, outdoorplay for most children will take place inspaces that have been designed. By us.

This provides some major challengesfor our profession: to overeóme the temptationto over-design public space; to research andunderstand the importance of unstructuredfree play to children (even if this challengesour sense of control); to recognize andadvocate for children as legitimate usersof outdoor space; and to hold firm againstover-sanitizing our parks, open spaces, schoolgrounds and early childhood centres."

MARY JEAVONS

DIRECTOR, JEAVONS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

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