More projects on Play and the City

I posted last week about Jason Sweeney and his TED City2.0 plan to map out quiet spaces in cities.

After doing some more poking around I found some other great projects all grouped under “Play in the City.”

First, I commend TED and the participants of this project for recognizing the need for play in all environments and for all ages.

Second, they have some really cool ideas to check out:

• Bruno Ruganzu, a 29-year old eco-artist from Uganda, plans to turn thousands of plastic water bottles into an amusement park for children.
• The Trust for Public Land teaches kids about water by engaging them in the design and construction of eco-playgrounds at their schools.
• Poor children in coastal India are encouraged to play games as a way to bring sportsmanship and structure into their lives.

All of these great ideas and more are captured on the Play theme page of the TED City2.0 project.

I think people often think of play as done out in the woods or on playgrounds, and often forget that cities can contain all the resources needed for play. Just look at parkour or buildering or urban mountain biking, or even yarn bombing. That said, it is absolutely crucial to allow people to play in cities and to create spaces dedicated entirely to play, as much for grown-ups as for kids.

What other projects promoting play in the city are you aware of? Let me know in the comments below.

Related articles

• The fantastic initiatives that are creating City 2.0 (rossdawsonblog.com)
• First 5 awards for City 2.0 prize announced (ted.com)
• Introducing…The Cities Of The Future (huffingtonpost.com)
• TED Prize engages people in designing the City 2.0 (Jun 27, 2012 10:24 AM) (knightfoundation.org)