15.10.2015 - Ausgabe: 5/2015

The school playground in the neighbourhood – a place for all generations?

By Stefan Eckl & Henrik Schrader (Institute for Cooperative Planning and Sports Development)

As a result of the expansion of the full-day school, more and more children and teenagers are spending more and more time at their school. The school is certainly still an educational place of learning, but it is also a social space enabling kids to meet up. Hence, in educational literature there has been increased discussion recently about the link between space and education. Apropos this link, there is discussion relating to the sociological debate about the space of the classroom being a place which doesn’t just distinguish itself due to its educationally-designed architecture, but also allows subjective interpretation, which is mostly dependent on age and gender, but also on other socio-demographic features (cf. Derecik, 2014, p. 25 ff.). In simple terms: An environment which caters for users, and can be adapted to meet their needs, even changing the original meaning where possible. For example a table tennis table is actually a standard piece of sports equipment and is therefore associated with a sports room, but it can, through different applications (e.g. something to run around, playing with hands instead of rackets, something to lie or sit on) be converted into a games room or a communication room. (cf. Dietrich, 1992, p. 16).

The school space encompasses many aspects and isn’t just restricted to the school building. The room concept, the equipment or furniture, the pedagogical concept and, last but not least, the sources of income for the neighbourhood or district – all of this defines the school space. The school playground is just a partial aspect, albeit an important one.   

Areas which can be used and which are suitable for both children and teenagers, and also for adults for sport, playing and exercise, are particularly lacking in urban areas. In studies which were undertaken in the course of sports development planning, citizens were asked about the value of sports and exercise areas available. Only about a third of respondents rate the 20 towns of different sizes as “very good” or “good”, when referring to the possibilities for children to exercise in the surrounding area. Even the recreation pitches (e.g. amateur football pitches) are only rated as “very good” or “good” by a quarter of respondents. These figures alone speak volumes – obviously there is a need, among the general public, for places to exercise close to home, which is not able to be met by local authorities anyway. School playgrounds, often scattered over the whole town, can represent an alternative here.

When the general public was asked in which areas they would invest, in relating to sports and exercise areas, the response was an average of about 16 out of 100 points for the investment in the exercise-friendly design of school playgrounds. Predominantly women and people aged between 25 and 40 would invest over the average amount in this area.

The survey results document two facts: Firstly, it is clear that in many towns there is a pent-up need for improvements in opportunities for sport and exercise in public areas. Secondly, the idea of an exercise-friendly design of school playgrounds is strongly supported by the general public. Therefore, this would form the ideal platform for attractive school areas which benefit both pupils and the neighbourhood.   

However, in practice things often look much different. Playgrounds – which are suited for sport, playing and exercise and which aren’t just concrete jungles – are surrounded by high fences and these areas are locked by the janitor after classes have finished, at the latest. The reason for doing so is that there is a risk of liability issues, vandalism, noise and mess. Many practical examples, however, show how these reservations can be countered and the playground can be opened for the good of everyone, and that it can turn out to have a positive effect on the whole neighbourhood. Essentially it is a plan which, from the outset, takes into consideration the different functions and possible uses of grounds of this kind.

This plan must consider both the needs of the school and those of potential users, so that the interlinking of quasi private school space and the public space works. Thus, a broad participation process is a mandatory requirement; it is not only the school community (pupils, teachers, parents, local authorities, janitor, Development Association) which should be integrated, but also the relevant institutions in the district. Functions, content-related design (space design concept) and a care/support concept should be developed jointly. School playgrounds can become individual business cards for the relevant district and form particular focal points, such as for playing, exercise, relaxation or communication.  

In order for young and old people to be able to meet in public in the “school playground”, a school playground must be designed in such a way that it offers possible play, regenerative and communicative usages for all age groups. Only then are the planning prerequisites ‒ from a sports-sociological and educational perspective ‒ provided for a school playground for the school and the inhabitants of that area offering play and exercise for all segments of society, in order for it to be able to develop into a meeting point in the district spanning all ages. In addition, a positive side-effect of a school playground filled with life is that a certain level of social control emerges here, which has a preventive effect on vandalism.    

Practical examples, such as those from Vienna clearly show the additional value of the multi-use open spaces of schools. Outside school hours, the school yards are partially managed by leaders or supervisors, e.g. through a street-ball tournament organised by a sports association or through what is offered by parents or volunteers in the sports, cultural or social spheres. Open schoolyards are therefore more than just educational storage surfaces; they can represent valuable, important meeting points for all age groups. 

Despite the fact that many local authorities have already made a start and have made parts of their schoolyards available for the pubic – there is a lack of nationwide understanding. A lack of knowledge about the purpose of the changes, negative experiences, from which lessons haven’t been learned, or fear (vandalism, mess, etc.) characterise the discussions in many areas. By utilising relatively simple means with a modest amount of effort, oases could be created here in the middle of residential surroundings that could serve as a bridge into the neighbourhood. (cf. Dietrich et al., 2005, p. 21). In other countries the importance of schoolyards designed to be open and exercise-friendly has been recognised previous to this. The following quote comes from John Lee, the founder of the US playground movement: “For an adult, playing is relaxation ‒ restoration in life; however, for the child, playing is growth ‒ obtaining life.”   

 

 

Literature:

Derecik, Ahmet (2014). Praxisbuch Schulfreiraum. Gestaltung von Bewegungs- und Ruheräumen an Schulen. Wiesbaden: Springer.

Dietrich, K. (1992). Bewegungsräume. Sportpädagogik, 16 (4), 16-21.

Dietrich, K., Hass, R., Marek, R. & Porschke, C. (2005). Schulhofgestaltung an Ganztagsschulen. Ein Leitfaden. Schwalbach: Wochenschau.

 

Photo: SMB