Playgrounds vs. "natural spaces"

[Wm.J.Lufred]

A lot belonging to the City in an urban residential neighborhood has been subleased by an bordering apartment building for years. It sees very little use, but is mowed and a fence maintained by the super of the building.
Some community members would like to put in a toddler park, while others are staunchly opposed to filling this "natural space" with gaudy plastic playground equipment--or anything else really.
Does anyone have good examples of playgrounds in small spaces that accommodate more community members than children and parents and that is aesthetically less offensive than primary-colored plastic slides and tubes?

[wahday]

I don't think it is really necessary for a play area for kids to have "official" play structures (and I agree that the plastic stuff can really ruin an otherwise bucolic setting). Kids do, however, need stuff to run around, jump onto/off of, hide behind, etc. There are many examples of alternative play areas that do not involve play structures, some of which are sculptural in nature. Heck, even a seating area could probably provide enough "stuff" to spark kids' imagination. But they do need something to react to.

A few resources...

Try: MIG, Inc. section on Children's Environments: http://www.migcom.com/services/view/2
This site on the concept of Adventure Playgrounds. These examples look a bit rickety to me, but the idea is well taken: http://adventureplaygrounds.hampshire.edu/index.html
Another example of an Adventure Playground: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/...dventplgd.html
And one more, built by the community, in Silver City New Mexico. I've been to this one - really amazing: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/...dventplgd.html

These may be bigger than your space can handle, but the ideas for inspiration are there.

If you (or the city) were to go for a more official play structure, there are companies that use natural materials like wood that are not outlandishly colored and stand up to the weather. My elementary school growing up was also concerned with a more "natural" look and we had a Big Toy play structure which was all wood and metal. Very nice, really. Here is a link to their website and a page about material choices in their structures. Yes, the slides are still plastic, but they come in a variety of colors, including a green that blends a little better with trees and grass: http://www.bigtoys.com/material_choices.php

[Wm.J.Lufred]

I agree. thanks for the information, it will help to have real examples when it's presented to the community.

[craines]

Check out the company Kompan for play equipment...........their moment and galaxy series is top notch........It is not about scripted play but allows the child to use his imagination........plus I think it looks way cool.

[Earthy girl]

Isn't it just basically a vacant lot anyway? I don't see a problem with wanting a tot lot there if the neighborhood organization agrees to maintain it. Wouldn't this improve the neighborhood rather than having a vacant lot?

[lapaloma]

the playground is the center of the next universe of great public places. Playground is an incredible word, but it has come to mean entirely unsuitable things for the places they are imagined in. The Indoorland of McDonald's cant be transposed onto the pocket lots in cities and the builders of these entities - see Kompan, MIG - are part of a post war hallucination. Playgrounds and Parks should fuse together like the spitting bricks in Millenium Park Chicago; and there aren't enough Noguchis making people-circuits for the 21st century.