Children's playgrounds : can we improve them? : a broad look at various areas in which we can improve the children's playground in an urban area such as Christchurch

Abstract

In the following pages I have tried to outline various ways our present Local Authority playgrounds could be improved, at the same time, taking into account the Local Authority - which has to provide and maintain these playgrounds; the parent- who has to supervise the child (if necessary); and lastly the child - who is the final judge as to the playgrounds success. I have randomly chosen six childrens playgrounds from various suburbs in Christchurch, and compared the types of equipment available in each. This is to show the great variation that does occur within our city parks. Hopefully in the near future some of our less well eguiped playgrounds will be updated to provide an enjoyable area for children to play in. For the last four summers, and the whole of 1983 I have been involved in the day to day maintenance of parks and playgrounds in the Christchurch area, and have found this of great value in helping with this study. Being able to ask questions, and make observations over this period was an invaluable experience. And it is upon this experience that I have based a lot of my conclusions. Hopefully, the various points will go towards providing more interesting, challenging playgrounds for our children in the near future, because afterall, it is the childs right to play.