A guide to play spaces of the future

In October Denmark got the publication “Insight into Play – A Guide to the Playscapes of the Future” (in Danish only) given out by Monday morning Innovation.  A consortium consisting of local authority representatives, sports and play researchers, NGO’s and representatives from play equipment, sports and architectural private enterprises has worked to create solutions for the future of play and sports areas.

Some of the insights are to be found in the new guide which is based on input from an expert panel consisting of researchers and experts from Danish universities and institutions, among others the KOMPAN Play Institute.

In short, the guide states that Danish young people’s play outdoors is declining and the number of inactive youth is increasing. The guide states that Denmark needs a play policy: even though in the elite when it comes to research into play and child health, the insights are not sufficiently being translated into Danish action when it comes to outdoor play.

At the launch conference of the guide, which took place at The Forest & Landscape department of the University of Copenhagen, it was stated that when it comes to documenting what successful solutions are, adults and youth don’t always have the same perception. But when it comes to proving play value of youth play solutions, adults will often be convinced just by trying out the games themselves. The conference workshops included play solutions from KOMPAN ICON, Euman and Gerlev Play College and all 130 participants played hard!