Tim over at Parentography has written a blog about what makes a great playspace. It'll be interesting to watch the comments to that blog to see what people suggest.
http://blog.parentography.com/2007/04/24/what-makes-a-great-playspace/
It got me thinking that this is really a great ongoing conversation to have. What are your memories of a really great playspace? Is it something we can replicate to make more great playspaces? What do you observe in the playspaces that you see everyday or visit with your own children or grandchildren?
Jot down your thoughts and ideas here. Maybe we can start incorporating the ideas into some innovative thinking about playspace design.
I think that a great playspace is one that maximizes "Play Value". The concept of play value is a measure of how successful different playground elements are in context to how they stimlate play, frequency of use, safety, etc.
The idea of "Play Value" is very subjective, but identifying the specific playground amenity, and measuring how frequently it is used, how long it is used, and assessing how children would rank the element in comparison and contrast to other elements, can give an idea of a playspace's "play value". To take the concept of play value even further, you could analyze the types of play that the playspace stimulates...ie: participating in symbolic play v. participating in "games", etc.
Kids know what they want in a playspace. By holding a Design Day with the children who will use the playground, you can learn quite quickly what they "value" by prioritizing the elements that they say are important. The results of the design day can be analyzed to understand the play value based on a number of variables, including the differences amongst ages, the differences based on gender, etc. Great playspaces are those that include the things that children want.
Lastly, I turn to the experts for advice. Playground manufacturers do extensive research on their design ideas, and they have a complete understanding of how successful different playground elements are. Their research is helpful in the design of new playgrounds, and places an emphasis on safety in addition to fun, excitiement, creativity, and everything else that happens during play.