An increasing number of us live in cities. This puts pressure on available land, and the UN warns of the consequences of rapid and poorly planned urbanization: lack of green spaces, overloaded infrastructure, and increased climate risk.
Blog post
The blogpost is written by
This blog post is written by master's student Oda Eriksen, under the supervision of Harald Røstvik.
For children, this means reduced access to nature, open spaces, and free play areas. When there are no nearby woods or meadows, public playgrounds become especially important. But how well do these spaces actually support play?
Children play because it’s fun – but play also holds deep developmental value: cognitive growth, social learning, language development, mastery, self-confidence, and creativity. Play is a central part of childhood, but what happens when play environments are so dull that they fail to inspire anything at all?
Many Norwegian cities and towns have plenty of playgrounds. The problem isn’t quantity – it’s quality. Modern playgrounds often look the same: plastic surfaces, standardized equipment, little variation, and no surprises. They fail to stimulate curiosity or exploration – and many remain empty for large parts of the day.
Play takes many forms: social, imaginative, exploratory, experimental. But to support this kind of play, children need more than a climbing frame, a sandbox, and a football pitch. Our playgrounds have become too sterile. They lack loose elements, varied terrain, bushes to hide in – all the things that make play come alive and the worlds children create rich and diverse. When adults’ need for control leads to overly safe and predictable environments, children lose the opportunity to learn how to manage risk. It’s a paradox: by shielding children from all risk, we make them more vulnerable. They miss out on practicing how to assess danger, set boundaries, and build courage and confidence.
Natural surroundings often offer the richest play experiences. They stimulate the senses, support diverse movement, and invite creative expression. This is something we don’t do enough of in today’s urban planning. We need a new way of thinking about cities – one where play, childhood, and nature are seen as essential parts of urban life, not as something added to leftover plots after everything else is built. Playgrounds must be integrated, vibrant urban spaces – with room for variation, exploration, and genuine play.
Research and professional literature point to a set of shared criteria that characterize high-quality play environments. These should guide our planning for children:
- Variation in spatial size and design
- Coherent and flexible spatial structure
- Rich details and irregularity
- Diverse and varied materials, including loose elements
- Natural features, vegetation, and water
- Accessibility for different users and age groups
- Flexible and adaptable environments
- Opportunities for influence and participation
- Challenging and risk-filled play
- Varied terrain and motor stimulation
- Social zones and meeting places
- Proximity to nature and sensory stimulation
We must dare to raise our expectations for what play can be – and how our cities can support a rich and meaningful childhood. A society that takes play seriously, takes the future seriously.