Cities work better when they’re good for play

New research has found that playing shouldn’t be limited to playgrounds. Architects and planning authorities can take a different approach to accommodate activities including parkour, skateboarding and guerrilla gardening if they want to design liveable cities. Playing in the city can improve people’s health and social wellbeing, but people tend to get nervous when they see playfulness happening “out of bounds”. This new research suggests design approaches which mediate this conflict between our desire for play and our fears of public nuisance.