Innovation in Play Environments

Children treat play as an end in itself while adults treat it as a means which may serve several developmental functions. Although traditional educational thinking had emphasised academic work rather than play as the important learning tool at the time, opinion was changing rapidly. Originally published in 1980, these essays drawn from papers given at the International Playground Association’s Seventh World Conference, concentrate on the planning and design of play programmes and play environments. The book reviews the historical approach to play, play in the home, play in institutional settings, handicapped children, planning for play in extreme climatic conditions and play environments beyond the traditional playground. It also considers the child and the urban environment, discussing high-rise residential environments, and the street and the city.

Acknowledgements. Preface. Introduction. Part 1: Toward the Perfect Play Experience 1. Toward the Perfect Play Experience Polly Hill 2. ‘Standard’ Versus ‘Adventure’ Playground Brenda Fjeldsted 3. Generating Relevant Urban Childhood Places: Learning from the ‘Yard’ Robin C. Moore 4. Youth Farms Edgar Boehm 5. Safety in Children’s Formal Play Environments Paul F. Wilkinson and Robert S. Lockhart 6. Play Environments in Arid Lands William B. Watkins 7. The Winter Use of Playgrounds Paul F. Wilkinson, Robert S. Lockhart and Ethel M. Luhtanen 8. Play in a Cold Climate Harvey A. Scott Part 2: Urban Planning with the Child in Mind 9. Respect the Child: Urban Planning with the Child in Mind Paul Davidoff 10. Planning and Designing Residential Environments with Children in Mind: a Dutch Approach Domien Verwer 11. Outdoor Play in Housing Areas Elizabeth Chace and George Ishmael 12. Can Children Play at Home? Louise Gaunt 13. How High Shall We Rise? The Great Unanswered Question Otto Weininger 14. Children’s Play in Indoor Spaces: Focus on High-Rise Anne-Marie Pollowy 15. City Streets: the Child’s Image as a Basis for Design Galia Weiser 16. Street Play: Re-creating Networks for the Urban Child Ellen Jacobs and Peter Jacobs 17. Beyond Playgrounds: Planning for Children’s Access to the Environment Cecilia Perez and Roger A. Hart. Contributors. Index.

Paul F. Wilkinson