I had the exciting opportunity to speak with Civic Design Center, a non-profit organization advocating for civic design visions, to help guide plans for the new park behind the Madison library (shoutout to Hope Aberg who recommended my Instagram account!). It was so exciting to get to talk about playground and park design after a year spent exploring all the nooks and crannies of Nashville area parks.
I posted a discussion question in my Instagram stories asking you what makes for the perfect park. I received over 100 answer submissions! Wahoo! That’s some good feedback!
Some of your answers were expected (shade was the #1 most submitted requirement for a perfect park…yup. Not surprised). But there were some answers I did not anticipate. Like you felt VERY strongly about mulch in playgrounds. You without a doubt prefer rubberized or cushioned pavement.
Some themes were hard to articulate, but I could see them taking shape. You like areas where kids can do inventive play, play that spans a wide range of ages, play that involves heavy lifting and calculated risks. You notice your kids like tunnels and climbing challenges, but you prefer the safety of ramps to climbing poles.
It was such great feedback that I decided to turn it into an infographic. It’s not perfect, but it paints a good picture of what is important to parents in park design.
Do you feel the same way as these parents? Is there anything else you would add to the discussion? You can reach out to @civicdesigncenter and give them your input as well. Tell them you’re with the frecklefaced club 🙂
Frecklefaced Adventures 