Tag Archives: play

How child-friendly is Moscow?

Posted on December 11, 2012 | 14 Comments

Mum and child on bridgeOn my visit to Moscow last week, I witnessed an intriguing sight as I was crossing a bridge near the city centre. A little girl and her mother were walking towards me. As they went past, the girl stooped down to make a snowball, and then she threw it playfully towards her mother. Not very noteworthy, you may think – except that it was minus 6 degrees Centigrade, with a biting wind and eight lanes of Moscow traffic roaring by just metres away from us. You could not have asked for a clearer example of children’s appetite for play, regardless of their circumstances. So how well does Russia’s capital satisfy that appetite – how child-friendly is it?

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Posted in Mobility, Outdoor play, Public policy, Urbanism

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What is it like to grow up in Moscow?

Posted on November 15, 2012 | 20 Comments
Young people on a bench

Image by Edwin Gardner, from Partizan Publik

In a couple of weeks I will be speaking at the Moscow Urban Forum, and I am asking for your help in making the most of this exciting opportunity. I want to find out more about everyday life for Moscow’s children. Can you help me discover what it is like to grow up in the neighbourhoods that the majority of Muscovite families live in?

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Posted in Mobility, Outdoor play, Public space, Urbanism

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When art meets free play, who wins?

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 15 Comments

Decorated shop window at Sceaux GardensWhat happens when artists who are used to structured programmes work with children who expect to be able to play freely? This is the question I explore here, in an edited version of a chapter from the book The Cat Came As A Tomato, published by the South London Gallery in 2011.

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Traditional outdoor games: why do they matter?

Posted on August 22, 2012 | 36 Comments

3 children playing hopscotchA survey out today points to a decline in traditional outdoor games like hopscotch, marbles and conkers. You may have heard me talking about the findings on Radio 5 live this morning (from 53’30″ in), supporting the call for a ‘rough and tumble play’ campaign. Mourning the loss of such games makes a nice summer season story. But does it really matter? Isn’t the attempt to revive interest in these games just shallow nostalgia? Is it even adults’ business to get involved? After all, these games have traditionally been passed down through the generations by children themselves, with little or no adult input.

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Posted in Outdoor play, Parenting, play

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Play in the Olympic Park: latest plans

Posted on August 2, 2012 | 4 Comments

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park aerial conceptHere in London, the Games are in full swing, and are hard to avoid. Perhaps easier to miss is the fact that plans are also well underway for the new public park that will be created in the wake of the Games. Indeed some key planning milestones were passed only last week.

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Posted in Nature, Outdoor play, play, Play spaces, playground, Public space

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What would you do with this space?

Posted on July 17, 2012 | 34 Comments

Disused overgrown tennis courtSome disused, overgrown tennis courts near where we live are going to be converted into a community play garden, and I would love to hear your ideas about what could be done there. I am keen for the garden to be a great place for local children and families: where they can have the kind of playful, hands-on, exploratory experiences of nature that I highlighted in my Sowing the Seeds report.

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Posted in Nature, Outdoor play, play, Play spaces

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