March 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 26

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Designing Quality Play Spaces
How active play can lead to positive health outcomes for children
By Jennifer Stromberg

D

espite the increasing number of studies documenting the importance of play, many questions exist on how to design quality play
spaces that can help communities in their quest to increase physical activity in youth. As sedentary behavior continues to rise, the
urgency increases to provide outlets for children that promote physical fitness.
Research also has shown that people
living in underinvested communities
disproportionately experience poor
outcomes, such as health disparities,
crime and violence, economic opportunity and social cohesion. Park spaces
can positively impact these outcomes.

Access to Play
More than 100 million people in the
United States do not have a park or
natural area within a 10-minute walk

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CITY OF IOWA PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Play is a critical part of childhood
development and park spaces are an
essential component of that growth.
Some benefits of play that influence
development include: (1) boosting positive attitudes toward cultural diversity
and reducing feelings of isolation, (2)
providing intense skill learning with
one hour of daily vigorous play, such as
running and playing tag, and (3) optimizing vision for kids who play outside
compared to those who play inside.

24

Parks & Recreation

| M A R C H 2 02 0 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

of their home. Many of those who do
find that those parks or natural areas are
in need of maintenance and updating.
So how can agencies ensure they
are creating quality play spaces?
Many communities build parks based
on what they think the neighborhood
wants rather than involve them as key
decision-makers in the park design
and development process. This can
lead to unintended consequences,
such as the park not fulfilling community expectations or providing the
health, social and mental benefits it
was tasked to deliver.
There are four key steps to consider
when designing a quality play space:
Planning and site selection -
Research has shown that people who live within a 10-minute
walk of a park are most positively
impacted by parks' health, environmental and economic benefits.
Finding a site that maximizes the
number of community members
who live within this distance can
help to close gaps in access. It is
also important to prioritize sites
in communities that have had a
historical lack of investment and
experience poor environmental,
health and/or economic outcomes.
Connections and accessibility
are also important considerations.
The Safe Routes to Parks Guide
(nrpa.org/Safe-Routes-To-Parks)
provides information to implement

1

Children in Iowa City, Iowa explore
the play features at Riverfront
Crossings Park.



March 2020 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020 - Parks & Recreation

March 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 1
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2010
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2010
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