Urban Play

Kids need a place to play, to connect with their neighbors and just be kids. In our urban centers it is harder and harder to find places that are for kids besides the neighborhood playground. But, we believe we can do better. That play can be around the corner to every child even in urban areas.

Learning Landscapes Design recently started an Urban Play in PDX Project. We will take the next 6 months and frame the urban play issue in our Portland neighborhoods. We will look at play streets, play in left over spaces and play events or temporary play spaces. Let us know if you are interested in joining in the conversation.

 

As we started our research we ran into a great New Orleans based educational non profit with similar goals called PlayBuild.

PlayBuild’s Big Idea: blight eradication through design education.

We proposed to target vacant lots in close proximity to elementary schools and to transform them into architectural playgrounds by combining unique playground equipment with elements of an outdoor classroom and creating a safe, fun, accessible environment for kids and families to play and learn.

Their 2828 Thalia play space has a ton of fun building toys and blocks. Kids build community and learn about the importance of design in their rapidly changing neighborhoods. We love how education play and community building overlap here and we can’t wait to see where this non-profit goes.