To better understand the activity levels at a typical Vilnius children’s playground, we chose the one closest to us for our research. We visited the site at various times of day, observing how local residents and passersby used the space. We wanted to know: was the playground used only by children, or were there other users as well? How did children interact with the existing structures—did they follow the forms dictated by the design, or did they reinvent them in some way? How did the needs of different age groups differ?

The playground investigation

One challenge was finding a way to document phenomena that shifted and unfolded rapidly across space and time. Consequently, we tried to spend as much time as possible at the playground. We sat on the bench, ate lunch there, and sunbathed in the blazing sun. We worked on our computers at the children’s table (drawing some rather odd looks from passersby) and wrote down or sketched our observations. Perched on the climbing net, we discussed our notes and shared ideas.

Observations of the playground

Parallely, we explored the evolution of playground typology—a concept that emerged relatively recently, during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. As large numbers of people moved to urban areas, the number of children in cities increased. To provide these children with activities, to protect them from criminal behavior, as well as to improve their physical health, foster social skills and value systems, the first public playgrounds were established in cities.

During our research, we observed that although the playground was not in perfect condition, it served as an important meeting point. It was a place to play and meet new people, to gather after school or go on a date, to have lunch and take a break, or simply to sit quietly and watch the children play. After conducting our observations, we felt that the children’s perspective was missing. Therefore, in the next stage of the study, we decided to ask the children: what would their dream playscape look like?

Workshop with kids – imaginary playscape creation