Citizens between politics and planning. More and more citizens are involved in the planning of public space. And the angry citizen expresses himself through vandalism?
The traces are everywhere. When they see destroyed or damaged objects, most people feel troubled, and a good many also insecure or even threatened. Often you hear people say that “in the old days” “this sort of thing” did not happen. However, can it really be demonstrated that “in the old days” nobody dared to attack public and other people’s property and that those responsible are always “youths”? Vandalism, defined as anonymous damage to or even the destruction of publicly accessible objects, is conceived of as deliberate action that violates norms and which, viewed from the outside, obviously occurs without a motive". So says Maren Lorenz in her book “Vandalismus als Alltagsphänomen” (Vandalism as an everyday phenomenon).
But the playground has also not escaped the attention of the “vandals”. The press increasingly reports the vandalism of playgrounds.
“Sabotaged screws at playground. Bruckmühl – Life-threatening vandalism at playground in Waldheim: For some months now, unknown offenders have repeatedly been loosening the screw nuts on playground equipment”. (OVB online, Silvia Mischi (Mangfall-Bote), 26.09.12)
Frank Knittermeier from the Hambuger Abendblatt reported on 26. 8 2008: “Unidentified delinquents were responsible for a particularly sick “joke” at the playground in the Bürgerpark: They poured tar over the slide”. (…)“
„Vandalism: “We feel so helpless” (www.NDZ.de, article from 17.07.2012 - 00.01)
“Playground in Lessenich turned into pub. Precisely at weekends, the playground in the new development area “Hinter den Lessenicher Gärten” resembles an open-air pub - and on the days after, a rubbish heap. The residents would like the park keepers to check the area in Lessenich more frequently. (www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de, Ayla Jacob, article by 23.07.2011)
This was reported by Daniela Buschkamp (NGZ online 06.02.2002 - 21:57):
Town’s playground concept aims at centralisation. Abandoned swings and empty sandpits, smashed beer bottles and evil-smelling reminders of dogs instead of playing children – a nightmare scenario for many playgrounds. “Vandalism is a problem, and we as a town under budgetary supervision suffer doubly”, says town youth worker Wolfgang Hufendiek. “We have little money at our disposal and have to use it for repairs“. About 15,000 euros were needed in 2001 for the replacement of destroyed or dilapidated equipment. Grevenbroich’s austerity drive. In recent years, smaller playgrounds were abandoned in favour of larger, more central areas, such as here in Wevelinghoven. Vandalism and contamination remain typical problems. They are a burden on a tight budget. (…)
The municipality of Rieneck is taking more drastic steps:
“Protection against vandalism: Camera at playground” reported the Main Netz.
“Damage to property: Monitoring is allowed in Rieneck. The people of Rieneck want to put an end to the increasing vandalism in their town: They intend to install video cameras at the Schellhof playground, the car park in the town centre and in the area of the fire station/community centre, so that the wrongdoers can be identified.
Prohibition signs have no yet had any effect (...). Some of them have even been torn down and mayor Wolfgang Küber is angry. The inhabitants of Rieneck are disgusted at the above-average sullying of public spaces and are repeatedly complaining to the mayor.
He has now agreed with the town council to take action against this and set up video cameras in order to combat this destructive rage effectively.
The municipality is permitted to do this if the damage to property is considerable in relation to the size of the local authority area. That is definitely the case in Rieneck, according to the legal department of the administrative district office. (…) (Main Netz sys, 18.07.2012)
The example of Bonn
There are over 470 public play areas in Bonn, which are planned, maintained and monitored for damage and risks by employees of the office for green areas. Working together with the city's department for Children, Youth and Family, they are responsible for the associated play guidelines, patron support and all participation procedures. Weathering, wear and tear, material fatigue and increased vandalism are, however, leaving their mark on playground equipment. Regular controls and maintenance work contribute here to accident prevention, so that the best possible safety of children can be achieved. All the citizens of Bonn should be able to enjoy a permanently safe and clean play area, which is as attractive as possible. The goal is to be able to offer a wide variety of development and learning possibilities to children and young people.
But in Bonn too, vandalism at playgrounds is a major issue.
Vandalism begins on a small scale with a broken bottle in a bin and extends to a whole piece of play equipment being set on fire. From the perspective of the city administration, the reasons for vandalism can only be defined with difficulty. The same applies to the measures for dealing with the problem in the right way. Normally, the perpetrators are young, and do not initially appear to have any visible motives for their actions. It is difficult to catch them in view of the speed of destruction and difficulty in obtaining evidence. A further problem is assessing the offences appropriately in terms of law and prosecuting the perpetrators.
The reasons for vandalism are given in the relevant specialist literature:
Fear of exclusion from a group, a desire to stand out, an unbalanced personality or dissatisfaction. Boredom, anger at being misunderstood by friends and relatives, pressure to perform, experiencing joy and pleasure in destruction.
According to an article in “PM” magazine, social scientists maintain that vandalism has become a national sport. They argue that young people primarily demonstrate aggression towards things that do not belong to them. In a confidential survey among pupils in Nuremburg, 95 percent admitted having intentionally damaged something at least once. 70 percent even confessed to serious criminal damage. Few were able to explain their motives. Very few offenders can. In Frankfurt, 14-year-old René was caught “ripping” (slashing seats) in a train compartment. He said: “Well, my mate once took out his butterfly and cut out a triangle, then he gave the knife to me and I made a cross. Why? Just for the sake of it”.
As far as urban playgrounds in Bonn are concerned, a clear tendency can be seen for isolated and little-used playgrounds to be most subject to vandalism. But play areas in the middle of classic housing estates with a high level of social control also do not automatically offer protection against being damaged and left too dirty to be used.
Here are some examples of reports of vandalism from the last twelve months at Bonn’s playgrounds, including those that are regularly checked:
- Roisdorfer Weg; wooden wheel and slide area of new equipment directly damaged with stones
- Waldenburger Ring, Grünzug; wooden planks torn out of climbing equipment
- Fabristraße; fire damage to and under shelter hut and the waste bins
- Kirschallee; playhouse torn from its anchoring
- Lenaustraße; play equipment that had just been repaired was damaged by “arson attempts” even before the site fence had been taken down
Whether sprayed skateboarding and play areas, e.g. at the Bonn Hallestraße already count as vandalism or just as examples of use typical of youth culture is certainly objectively open to debate. However, when extensive amounts of broken glass are repeatedly found in the jumping and riding areas at skateboarding areas, there is a direct risk to users, which is a consequence of vandalism and simply has to be eliminated.
Prevention in Bonn
To ensure safety at urban play areas despite vandalism, classic monitoring at the intervals specified in DIN EN 1176 is a basic prerequisite. The basis of playground monitoring is the task of complying with the duty to maintain safety at children’s' playgrounds. This results from the German Civil Code Section 823, Liability in Damages. The examination of outdoor play equipment is conducted on the basis of DIN EN 1176 and DIN EN 1177 “Shock absorbing playground surfaces”. The Office for Urban Green Spaces documents all maintenance work using software it has designed for this purpose. If defects are identified, they determine who remedied the defects. Documentation on site by means of smart phones is used as evidence of the performed monitoring and maintenance works. Additionally, the documentation guarantees monitoring of whether the identified defects were actually corrected.
Signs are put up at the playgrounds. The signs do not only display the emergency number 112, but also a service phone number, 0228 77 44 99, and vandalism can also be reported. There is also a public playground register based on the city map of Bonn to be found on the web at www.bonn.de. This includes all playgrounds and play equipment, so that the servicing and maintenance of all installations is simplified and reports by citizens of damage caused by vandals can be better understood.
“The goal of the city administration is to establish a culture of making people more aware of pubic playgrounds. It is intended that this be achieved e.g. through greater identification with public facilities via participation processes, sponsorships or self-building campaigns with children and young people. Nearly 50 sponsors already feel partially responsible for a corresponding number of play areas in Bonn and provide valuable services in relation to them. These services range from regular checking of the playground to locking-up services in individual facilities. The “professionals” from the department for Children, such as street workers and educationalists on the council, constantly work together with colleagues from the Office for Urban Green Spaces in individual examples on holistic solutions, regarding new play equipment or the overall design of whole play areas. Both points are planned to secure municipally limited financial resources in future even more than already now from the perspectives of durability and the prevention of vandalism together with a large circle of specialist colleagues and future users”, says Dipl. Ing. David Baier, Head of Department for the Office for Urban Green Spaces in Bonn.
One thing is clear: Increasing vandalism very clearly represents a burden on the total budget, which is available for the maintenance and refurbishment of public playgrounds in Bonn. Not only in Bonn will it be all the more necessary in future to identify targeted preventive measures and thus minimise the damage caused by vandals. For this reason, alongside the sponsors already mentioned here, we must in particular underline our thanks to committed associations and companies in Bonn, which conduct cleaning or fund new equipment within the framework of comprehensive assistance campaigns. As an example, this year an important playground in Bonn’s old town was comprehensively cleaned with the help of a local church congregation and Telekom AG. The paint on the equipment was also freshened up and, in relation to this, a large painting table for the special area for small children was also financed and installed. In this way, citizens, companies and institutions are sending out an important signal as a counter pole to random vandalism at playgrounds. For those responsible for play areas, this represents a clear boost to their everyday work!
Vandalism statements
Volker Schwarz, Department Head for Green Spaces, City of Heidelberg, Landscape Architects and Forestry Office:
“At the more than 130 playgrounds and schoolyards in the 14 districts of Heidelberg we are seeing ever more damage caused by vandalism. The vandalism is not limited to the poorer parts of the city, but is affecting our entire city. It is possible to identify focuses in terms of chronology and geography, related to different groups of users, who are temporarily concentrated in a particular area. Often somewhat remote playgrounds without a corresponding social control of vandalism are also affected. Typical current damage through vandalism are damage to or the destruction of swing seats, water pumps, slides, climbing holds on climbing walls, benches or whole pieces of play equipment. In the past, there were several cases of whole playhouses or wooden constructions being burned down. Mechanical play equipment like our “pendulum swings” or water pumps is particularly vulnerable and requires costly repairs or the replacement of whole pieces of equipment.
Unfortunately, vandalism normally leads to the play equipment having to be closed down. This then results in displeasure among children and parents as those primarily affected. While we all do our best to keep all play equipment in operation and enable rapid repair or replacement, unfortunately many play areas have to remain closed down for longer periods of time, since not enough funds are available in the short term. As the responsible office, this presents a problem for us both in terms of providing the funds for maintenance and of investing in new play areas (budget), since these additional burdens can be hard to budget for. Our preventive response to vandalism relies primarily on the most robust possible equipping of our playgrounds, the promotion of social control and regular inspections by the municipal security services".
Stephan Heldmann, Head of the Office for Green Spaces of the City of Frankfurt / M.:
“Vandalism, in particular at playgrounds, is a recurring issue. Generally, the same areas of hardship with a corresponding social structure always emerge. The most frequent kinds of damage result from arson, the slashing of swing seats and other parts of the equipment, and graffiti on equipment and benches. Despite the ban on alcohol, smashed bottles are found again and again at playgrounds. An increasing phenomenon, depending on the current scrap prices, is the theft of metal parts.
It is not always possible to replace damaged play equipment promptly, or at all due to a shortage of funds.
The City of Frankfurt am Main counters vandalism especially in areas of social hardship through the use of robust simple play equipment, which contain few or no wooden parts. Unfortunately, this approach restricts creativity in playground design and the attractiveness of playgrounds.
Furthermore, vandalism-resistant parts, such as ropes reinforced with steel and black metal chains are utilised for swings instead of stainless steel chains.
However, the focus is on the carrying out of participation projects in the construction or redesign of playgrounds, in particular also in areas of social hardship. Depending on the location of the facility, the local residents and their children, nearby schools, youth clubs and day care centres are involved in the planning and construction of the playgrounds. This produces a personal relationship to “our” playground and increased social control. Sometimes these campaigns also open up rigid social structures and result in more positive activities in the district.
Our city’s response can therefore increasingly be seen in greater (citizens’) participation by playground users in the planning and construction of playgrounds”.
Christiane Zinoni-Peschel, Office for Green Spaces – City of Coburg, Open Space Planning and Planning:
“Unfortunately, vandalism at playgrounds is also an important issue in Coburg, although there are differences from year to year. Overall, the accumulation of rubbish plays a major role. After the weekend, our playground guard spends two days (Monday and Tuesday) clearing up broken glass and garbage from the playgrounds! That is more than 2/5 of his working time!
The problem is often that adults and youths meet at the playgrounds to drink alcohol and smoke, activities that have no place in playgrounds Then they smash their bottles there and create rubbish at the children’s' playground. That is especially common at playgrounds close to areas of social hardship.
We respond to vandalism by attempting to enter into dialogue with those who cause it. In many cases that helps. Moreover, we have a participation process when refurbishing playgrounds. The closer connection to the playgrounds has a very positive impact. If a playground is redesigned, the seats and play equipment, the plants and other elements are in a very good state, which attracts many parents and children to the playground, there is more going on and we thus also have more social control by residents and by users of the playgrounds.
This year we set up a "Dirtbiker-BMX” facility with the participation of children, young people, parents and institutions as part of our Social Town (Coburg Wüstenahorn) programme. See our photo (by Chr. Zinoni-Peschel, Office for Green Spaces City of Coburg), on which you can see the children and young people getting involved. At this playground we have experienced a sharp decline in vandalism.
In areas where play equipment is repeatedly destroyed, we use steel equipment, which is more durable that the wooden variety.
Our conclusion: It is necessary to plan and implement together with the parents, children and local residents, and such institutions as kindergartens, church congregations etc. That keeps vandalism at bay. When problems do occur, seek contact. That is often outside our normal working hours".
Dietmar Radde, City of Erlangen, Office for Culture and Leisure, department head of Children and Youth Culture, Playground Office:
“Vandalism at children’s’ playgrounds should, in my opinion, not in general be dramatised, as this often only serves to promote prejudices against today's young people, who allegedly spend all their time drinking themselves senseless, committing acts of violence and damage to property and leaving behind heaps of rubbish. Vandalism is undoubtedly annoying, but should also be examined carefully and taking all aspects into consideration, which then results in an objective analysis capable of illuminating the background and not just simply identifying culprits. In my view, vandalism occurs more where there are no suitable meeting points, offers and contact persons, so it is there the quest for causes should begin.
Play and leisure facilities spread out across the city as a whole, which are well-maintained and offer a variety of attractive options for different ages and groups of users are, in my view, good prerequisites for minimising vandalism. In Erlangen, there are quite good prerequisites for this, and we are working on developing them further.
However, occasionally graffiti at playgrounds can also be found in Erlangen. From time to time, we also have to deal with rubbish and broken glass being left behind at various sites. We encounter deliberate damage only very rarely and when we do, it mostly occurs at older play areas, which really should have been renovated a long time ago. However, we are attempting to keep the condition and equipment of our facilities at the highest possible level and to provide offers for different ages groups and groups of users.
To the best of our abilities, we also involve future users in refurbishment and new construction. We have thus far had relatively good experiences with these measures, so that vandalism is not a major issue in Erlangen”.
Herbert Fuchs, City of Forchheim, Garden and Cemetery Office:
“The City of Forchheim maintains over 70 playgrounds and playing fields for around 31,000 inhabitants. We experience the majority of vandalism at summer weekends. Then it may happen that someone sets fire to the roof of a recreation ground’s bad weather shelter. Safety slabs are also very often removed by vandals. Currently, “sprayers” are again at work. To counter the vandals, the City of Forchheim deploys youth workers, who also combat vandalism through dialogue with the young people. We have also involved young people themselves in construction works for certain projects (e.g. the building of a mountain bike course, construction of a skateboarding area etc.). No vandalism has been discovered at such projects".
Volker Schirner, Federal State Capital of Stuttgart, Head of the Garden, Cemetery and Forestry Office:
“In the summer months, parks are used intensively, and unfortunately park benches are destroyed. Childrens’ playgrounds also attract this kind of vandalism. Fire damage occurs after meetings and celebrations if those “celebrating” have gathered in the park or at playgrounds and have probably been drinking. Then we find glass and cigarette ends in sandpits and the furnishing, fittings, play equipment and even vegetation are destroyed or damaged. These are just a few examples. It is important to create a social environment if we are to counter vandalism. This means for example: Involving local residents and youth groups in planning! Through participation processes. Finally however, robust materials must be used for public spaces. Design must be selected in a way that addresses target groups, so that destructive rage is reduced. And additionally, regular checks on cleanliness must be carried out".
TM / Dipl. Ing. David Baier (City of Bonn)
Photography: Maximilian Mühlens, City of Bonn, City of Coburg (Christiane Zinoni-Peschel), City of Frankfurt/M., City of Heidelberg, City of Stuttgart
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