#playfriendly
LightNews LightNews
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
What an excellent way to make the city more playable...
#childfriendly #playfriendly #publicspace
#Luxembourg
#PeopleOfBluesky #UrbanGaze #UrbanDesign #Urbanism #StreetPhotography #Photography #Urbanphotography #CityScapes #HumansOfBluesky #Placemaking #Citiesforpeople
August 11, 2026 at 3:25 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Let's play...a game of chess♟️. In front of the 'Noordeinde Palace' in #TheHague. One of three official palaces of the Dutch royal family🤴.
#publicspace #streetphotography
#playfriendly #cities
May 3, 2025 at 2:52 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Science Playground (🧵 1/2):"It has been designed to inspire the imagination and to challenge children physically"
📍Pier 26, #NYC
#publicspace
#placemaking
#playfriendly #play
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#humansofbluesky
Photos from the inside in 2nd post.
August 4, 2025 at 9:40 AM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Sports and exercise can be done anywhere! See here a beach #volleyball tournament on the historic market square in #Gouda (the #Netherlands). Dump a load of sand, put up a few nets and the game is on 🏐
#publicspace #placemaking #sport #streetphotography #playablecities #playfriendly
June 25, 2025 at 7:18 AM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
How do we make cities more #playfriendly? It's a question I've been working on for quite some time. Here's a nice and simple example from #Memmingen in Germany. A marble maze. What examples do you know?
#publicspace #placemaking
#streetphotography #humansofbluesky
August 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Let’s make more #childfriendly and #playfriendly districts! This model will give you guidance and inspiration. With 💯measures for stimulating active free play in #cities around the world:
urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/playablecities
#publicspaces #outdoorplay #kids #childfriendlycities #playspaces
Children's daily lives are affected mostly by decisions made by parents, teachers and urban planners. Together they influence where, how and how long children play. In recent years, children's outdoor play has declined. For health and pedagogical reasons, it is important that we stimulate outdoor playing. To realize this we need a new approach on public spaces for kids. This approach doesn't start with picking some elements from catalogues of play equipment companies or landscape architects. We should start at the other end by taking into account the bigger picture: the purpose (WHY) and the conditions (HOW) to realize playable cities. Only then, do we know which actions (WHAT) have to be carried out. The purpose is to stimulate outside playing, because it improves the health of kids, enriches their skills and most of all it gives them pleasure (WHY). These higher goals can only be achieved when the right conditions are created (HOW). For example public spaces should be accessible, attractive, challenging, divers and inviting. The different actions and efforts (WHAT) such as design, programming and ordering equipment are a result of these sub goals and not the other way around. In total, I come to 100 measures. Examples of these actions are broad sidewalks, climbing structures, greenery, ground markings, shared spaces and bike racks for kids. The moral of this story: if we want to realize playable cities we have to consider these three aspects (WHY, HOW, WHAT) continuously and collectively.
December 30, 2024 at 2:37 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
In the book ‘All to play for' several ingredients are presented to help create a more #playfriendly and #childfriendly environment near residential complexes. A summary/review: urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/2025/12/how-...
#outdoorplay #publicspace #architecture #cities #urbanism #placemaking #play
How to design a play-friendly living environment
Civil servants, project developers, and urban planners involved in housing construction often find themselves embroiled in debates about bal...
urbanspringtime.blogspot.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:35 AM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Outdoor play is essential for the development and well-being of children. In this video I share the most important insights from our research into #playfriendly cities and neighbourhoods. A study about how children use and evaluate the #publicspace as a place to #play. youtu.be/XAXiT1NLLHE?...
Speelvriendelijke Steden | Kennisclip De Haagse Hogeschool (rechtvaardig samenleven)
YouTube video by De Haagse Hogeschool
youtu.be
April 22, 2025 at 3:11 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
What a pleasure it was to fully immerse myself for two days in the knowledge, practice and research around #childfriendly and #playfriendly cities at the 'Child in the City' symposium. Thanks to the speakers and participants for sharing their experiences and sharing their (our shared) passion.
December 8, 2024 at 2:52 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Fitness machine? Play attributes?
Anyway, proplbably a good place for a balancing exercise.
#playfriendly #cities #publicspace #play #urbansport
December 8, 2024 at 2:03 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
There are three important conditions to make water playable:
1⃣make sure that children can easily access it
2⃣that they are allowed to touch it and adjust the flow
3⃣that the water is shallow and therefore safe

More actions to create #playfriendly places:

urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/2018/07/playab…
December 8, 2024 at 2:01 PM
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Did you know that there is a spatial segregation between boys and girls in #publicspace? Girls #play at different spots and play outside less often. What are the reasons and how can this inequality be prevented? Read it here:#childfriendly #playfriendly

urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/2022/05/girls-…
December 8, 2024 at 2:01 PM