In this article you’ll find information on:
• The types of play spaces being built.
• The safety and maintenance considerations you need to take into account if you’re planning a play space.
• The benefits that communities reap from play space projects.

Beyond the Traditional Playground Concept
Kim Sanderson, an innovative projects coordinator for the City of Edmonton, says there are three types of play spaces:
• traditional
• designed
• innovative

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Traditional
The traditional play space is the typical playground we’ve become familiar with. The centrepiece is usually a large fixed structure that includes slides, climbing apparatus, decks and tunnels. On the ground, a soft surface such as sand, protects from injury.

Sanderson says traditional playgrounds, while popular, do have their drawbacks. The equipment they contain places an emphasis on physical strength and therefore can favour older, stronger boys. Another problem is that they tend to draw all the kids to one place on the site. There are usually a few popular pieces of equipment that too many kids want to use at once.

As a result, play opportunities are not equal for all.

Designed
“We need to find ways for everyone to play on a site,” says Sanderson. The solution, he adds, is the second type of play space: designed.

At a designed site, you’ll see kids of all ages spreading out in every corner rather than clustering competitively at popular equipment. “Designed play spaces invite an array of play opportunities for all ages and abilities,” says Sanderson. “We want to see a lot more designed sites.”

Designed play spaces rely less on prefabricated equipment. They’re designed by landscape architects who gather input from kids and other stakeholders and then base the design on that input. For example, at the request of stakeholders an architect might include a skateboarding area or a pond in a designed play space.

“They come back with a design that meets all the needs of a particular community,” says Sanderson, adding that designers can be hired for a reasonable cost and that there are excellent designers in Edmonton and elsewhere.

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Innovative
The third type of play space is the innovative play space. These play spaces include adventure play and city farms, special play day events and in some cases just loose equipment that the kids can move around and manipulate. These types of play spaces generally operate under the supervision of trained adult leaders.

“The idea is that kids can actually change the site,” says Sanderson. At these spaces, kids might build a fort with saws, hammers and timber and then paint their new fort. At a city farm/adventure play site, kids might fashion a clay oven and then use it to cook food, or they might make a straw bale maze.

Edmonton has one such facility, Edmonton Cityfarm. Sanderson says the concept is well-established in Europe where there are more than 1,000 city farm/adventure sites operating.

“There is so much regimented activity in the daily life of kids,” says Sanderson. “Innovative play spaces and adventure play allow kids to break out of that and be creative and active. It helps them develop the skills they need to be healthy adults.”

Safety and Maintenance
Safety First
Sanderson says that because adult supervision is standard at innovative play spaces, injuries are rare. One of the keys to safety at traditional and designed play spaces as well is that adults supervise kids whenever possible.

If you’re planning a play space, make sure that your play space complies with the CSA-Z614 Children’s Playspaces and Equipment standard, a set of guidelines by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

An important new addition to CSA-Z614 is Annex H. This annex explains how to make play spaces accessible for children with disabilities. Sanderson says Edmonton is the first municipality in Canada to adopt Annex H as policy, and he hopes others will follow suit.

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Complying with CSA-Z614/Annex H guidelines is voluntary, not mandatory. So it’s important for playground planners to make a conscious decision to meet the guidelines. They also need to check with equipment suppliers to make sure equipment complies with the guidelines.

Maintenance Too
Building a play space is just the beginning of the project, Sanderson points out. Most play spaces have a life expectancy of at least 15 years. Equipment will wear out, and if it’s not properly maintained, the likelihood of kids injuring themselves goes way up.

“These are senseless injuries,” says Sanderson. “There’s no reason for kids to sustain these sorts of injuries.”

So it’s essential to plan for the maintenance of your play space in accordance with CSA-Z614. Be sure to create a plan and a budget for maintenance.

Making it a Community Project
“So often today people don’t know their neighbours and neighbourhoods,” says Jennifer Finnigan, a children and youth program co-ordinator with the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA).

She adds, “Working on a play space together breaks down the barriers between people. And when the community gets a chance to spearhead a play space, it creates a sense of ownership and pride.”

“Involvement from a number of sectors is required: a steering committee, operations, planning, design, and most importantly, children,” says Sanderson. “It’s also important that the owners and operators of play spaces provide play space planning groups with the resources they need to create the best play space possible for all users.”

“The children will thank you for it. And it will go a long way toward ensuring that our children are healthy, active and creative.”
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Learn More
Playground Project Manual for Volunteer Groups: 2007 Edition
A playground project manual for community groups in the Calgary area from the Calgary Injury Prevention Coalition (CIPC).

Cityfarm Edmonton
The website for Cityfarm Edmonton.

Canadian Standards Assocation (CSA) Announces Fourth Edition of Children’s Playspaces and Equipment Standard
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) news release about the latest edition of the CSA-Z614 Children’s Playspaces and Equipment standard.

CSA-Z614 Annex H FAQ
A fact sheet for people who want to make new or redeveloped play spaces accessible to people with disabilities.

Play Value and Playground Accessibility FAQ
Information from Safe Kids Canada about the value of play spaces for children.

An Invitation to Child’s Play: Big Blocks and Wheelbarrows
A New York Times article from May 2008 about an innovative play space in New York City.