The Playground Project Edited by Gabriela Burkhalter

From the 1950s to the 1980s, the outdoor play area served as a social experiment. Inventive, unconventional, educational, and exhilarating playground designs emerged in various cities in Europe, the United States, and globally. Artists, landscape designers, architects, and activists endeavored to create optimal play spaces for children while reimagining the urban landscape and communities.

Initially published in 2018, The Playground Project swiftly became a classic. This significantly expanded latest edition reintroduces the plethora of ideas from that era to inspire contemporary audiences. It presents numerous previously unreleased images, new portraitsparticularly highlighting female figures from that time—and insights from recent research on playground design. An insightful introductory essay positions the playground at the crossroads of education, architecture, urban politics, design history, and leisure policy. A specific focus is directed toward the overlooked history of playgrounds in the former German Democratic Republic. Additionally, emerging scholars delve into the culture of remembrance surrounding the Shek Lei Playground in Hong Kong and the role playgrounds played in the state-building process in Mexico.

The book serves as a tribute to play in public spaces and serves as a valuable resource for architects, designers, students, children, and political figures.

English
376 pages. 238 color and 54 black and white illustrations.
21,5 x 29,8 cm
ISBN 978-3-03860-350-4