Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In

Play is so important to kids’ physical, mental, and social development that the United Nations considers it a human right. But not all cities fulfill these rights equally.

Photo: Baltimore City Recreation and Parks via KaBOOM!

What the nonprofit KaBOOM! calls a playful or playable city, others might call simply a kid-friendly city. While suburbs get most of the glory for having space to play, public outdoor play spaces are even more important in cities where families have little or no yard of their own to play in.

KaBOOM! recognized 10 “playful” cities this week, many of which found success at making their neighborhoods healthier and more dynamic by coupling play with safe streets and sustainable transportation.

Brownsville, Texas, extended their Ciclovia into underserved neighborhoods this year, reportedly attracting 10,000 people. Ottawa, Kansas, is installing play pods along the Prairie Spirit rail-trail. Charlotte, North Carolina, is installing playful art along every stop of the Lynx light rail system. Thomasville, Georgia, installed hopscotch, balance lines, and other activities at bus stops. And Baltimore is targeting vacant lots for resurrection as play spaces -- and hosts one of the most joyful bike-centered events on the planet, the Kinetic Sculpture Race, which took place just last weekend.

Other cities recognized by KaBOOM! were Chicago; Pittsburgh; Columbus, Georgia; Flint, Michigan; Greenville, South Carolina; and Bismarck, North Dakota.

Play spaces aren’t just for kids. They can also be for farmers markets, performances, and neighborhood gatherings that inject public life into abandoned or underused places.

KaBOOM! President James Siegal also cautioned against positioning playability as "a competitive advantage for cities to attract and retain the creative class; particularly young college educated professionals" -- a rationale often cited for bikeability. While he said that cities will continue to lose those professionals as they have kids if they don't pay attention to play, he also hinted that if cities have only “the creative class” in mind, they risk losing sight of what he considers the primary mission of urban playability: making cities more equitable.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

July 2024 Metro Board Meeting: Ridership Up, Security Measures, LAX, and More

LAX station will open this November. Metro will expand security measures, from TAP-to-Exit to turnstile hardening. Plus more Metro action!

July 25, 2024

Covina to Begin Construction on Recreation Village

The new facility will be next to the Metrolink station and include a variety of opportunities for fitness and amusement

July 25, 2024

Incomplete Streets Part 2: in OC Caltrans Ignores Caltrans Policy on Bike and Pedestrian Needs

Caltrans has a policy requiring Complete Streets in its projects, but Caltrans Districts routinely ignore it

July 24, 2024
See all posts