When people plan for outdoor play spaces, they often think of wide-open spaces that allow for all types of equipment. However, in reality, it’s more common to be working in tight spaces near buildings, houses and public transit. If you have plans to build a play space in an urban area, there are certain elements you’ll need to consider. Let’s explore which ones are most important.
Strategic Location
The benefit of building a playground in an urban area is that you’ll get plenty of traffic, especially if it’s situated within walking distance of nearby homes. This way, residents from the community can walk or ride their bikes to the playground. Pick a space that can be easily accessed by children, even if that means having multiple smaller playgrounds throughout a community.
Plenty of Nature
You might have fewer trees, flowers and shrubs to work with in an urban space, but that doesn’t mean that you must omit these elements. In fact, urban areas thrive off nature! If there aren’t many trees or bushes, at least pick an area that allows for growth. When the landscape is matured, you’ll want to have a myriad of trees, fresh grass and maybe even a flower bed or a small pond.
Seating Areas
Individuals and families who live in urban areas enjoy the fact that they can walk or bike ride to local places and attractions. Make sure that your play space is equipped with plenty of seating so that visitors can cool off and take a break while their kids run and play. In addition to park benches, include several picnic tables so that families can have lunch during their visit.
Playground Equipment
These days, playground equipment is much more diverse. You have more than slides and swings to choose from – you can furnish your play space with interactive playground equipment, towers, cubes or vertical play structures with a modern city look, inclusive equipment, boulders and nets, challenge courses, workout stations, splash pads and more.
The more you include in your play space, the more groups of people you’ll attract. You can also expand your play space with a dog park or family fit zone. These amenities do especially well in urban areas because people often lack large backyards. Providing these extra perks will make your space attractive for all ages!
Walking Paths
Because people will be visiting your playground on foot, it’s nice to have a few good walking trails. You may not have many options if you’re building on a small lot but walking paths don’t have to take up a lot of space. And, if you plan on building several small play spaces, the walking paths can join them together.
Along the path, be sure to include benches, drinking fountains and trash receptacles. Also think about bike riders – where will they park their bikes and scooters for safe keeping? You can accomplish this with a bike rack, bike storage or bike shelter.
Urban Parks Matter! Start Your Project Today!
Urban communities are some of the best places to build playgrounds. CR Studio Design has great concepts for urban spaces such as our Modern City inspired by modern architecture, towers with ropes and nets, sustainable custom metal designs or even using a nature themed play space. Contact our team today to discuss your ideas for a new urban play space!