Unlocking the potential of public spaces to tackle inactivity
Our cities offer countless opportunities for vibrant public life, and focusing on public spaces is crucial for making more livable, inclusive cities. As planners and designers, we recognize the immense value of mixed-use spaces, and awareness of their importance is steadily growing. Understanding the unique profiles of different public spaces is vital to making them more inviting, connected and inclusive.
Historically, squares and streets have followed specific patterns and dynamics. While many traditional public squares possess the qualities needed to thrive - warmth, connectivity and reasons to linger - modern planning has too often fallen short, leaving squares lacking these essential elements. They often miss the “eye-catchers”, design elements that encourage stay and other features which invite citizens to linger.
Similarly, streetscapes have long been dominated by cars, with an average of 80% of public space allocated to vehicles. However, cities are increasingly recognizing the value of mixed-use spaces, not just for squares but for streets as well. Shifting toward more balanced, human-centered designs opens the door to vibrant, dynamic urban environments.
To play is to move
Physical activity among children and young people is declining. While limiting screen time and promoting participation in organized sports and PE classes are essential steps, unstructured play has also been identified as a key recommendation to address this global issue.
In 2013, the Aspen Institute launched Project Play to combat physical inactivity stemming from declining sports participation. Project Play outlines eight strategies, or "8 Plays," to tackle the problem. These include Ask What Kids Want, Reintroduce Free Play, Encourage Sport Sampling, Think Small, and Design for Development - all of which can be applied to urban design and city planning approaches too.
By addressing the challenge of inactivity, urban spaces can be created that serve a variety of purposes, offering a win-win-win solution for health, community, and urban livability.
Spontaneous play in urban spaces
We have carried out various placemaking and urban design projects which address children’s urban experience from various angles: how to create space for play, increase sense of ownership, increase safety, have more places for children to meet friends and spend time in. In many projects we have also used co-creation methods to ask what kids want: in many cases children have wished for more play and game equipment and elements. We have reintroduced free play through furnishing the place, whether a square, street or front of a building, with multifunctional modular furniture. Simple shapes with sturdy structure enables free play and movement: children are climbing, jumping, creating games - and the modular blocks are prompts for unstructured play. We have also carried out collaborations with, for example, skateboarding experts, whose pop up workshop encouraged more than 40 children from various backgrounds to try out skateboarding on a public square in just one afternoon. This sports sampling also attracted a lot of girls and many of them asking, where could they go to start it as a hobby. Luckily, an indoor skateboarding hall is not too far and run by the city of Helsinki, it is very affordable for most. In these cases thinking small has truly been the recipe to get children moving: placing multifunctional furniture on public squares (which benefits all!), having access to play & games equipment and doing pop up events have reached hundreds of children in this case only.
“Cities are increasingly recognizing the value of mixed-use spaces”
Tackling inactivity with multilateral solutions, some of them indirect, can be an eye opening experience and widen the perception of what play and sports are. There is no one right answer or solution to solve the problem completely, but creating playful cities benefits us all.
We have undertaken various placemaking and urban design projects aimed at enhancing children’s urban experiences from multiple perspectives. These projects focus on creating spaces for play, fostering a sense of ownership, improving safety, and providing more opportunities for children to meet friends and spend time together.
In many of these initiatives, we’ve employed co-creation methods to directly ask children what they want. Their responses often highlight a desire for more play and game equipment. To reintroduce free play, we’ve furnished spaces - whether squares, streets, or building frontages - with Parkly’s multifunctional modular furniture. These simple, sturdy designs encourage unstructured play and movement. Children climb, jump, invent games, and use the modular blocks as prompts for free play.
We’ve also collaborated with experts, such as skateboarding professionals, to provide workshops and pop up events. For instance, a skateboarding workshop attracted over 40 children from diverse backgrounds in just one afternoon. Many of the participants, including a significant number of girls, expressed interest in pursuing skateboarding as a hobby. Fortunately, Helsinki’s city-run indoor skateboarding hall offers an affordable space for them to continue.
In this case, thinking small proved to be the key to getting children moving. Simple interventions, such as placing multifunctional furniture in public squares (benefiting everyone), providing accessible play equipment, and organizing pop-up events, reached hundreds of children and sparked their interest in play and movement. Furthermore, the activating furniture is placed where children can spontaneously play around on their daily routes.
Addressing inactivity through diverse, often indirect solutions can be eye-opening, broadening our understanding of what play and sports can be. While there’s no single solution to solving the issue entirely, building playful cities is a step forward that benefits us all.
Päivi Raivio Co-Founder of Parkly Urban Furniture Company >>