Designed for Play
Children’s Playgrounds and the Politics of Urban Space, 1840–2010
9781914477492
9781914477485
Distributed for University of London Press
Designed for Play
Children’s Playgrounds and the Politics of Urban Space, 1840–2010
An exploration of efforts to create more livable and humane urban environments.
This book is an original and accessible history of the modern playground in Britain and beyond, charting its journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity. Tracing the playground’s history from the mid-nineteenth century to 2010, Designed for Play demonstrates how a diverse set of actors across the philanthropic, voluntary, state, and commercial sectors all sought to reimagine and reshape the urban landscape to improve childhood outcomes.
This book is an original and accessible history of the modern playground in Britain and beyond, charting its journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity. Tracing the playground’s history from the mid-nineteenth century to 2010, Designed for Play demonstrates how a diverse set of actors across the philanthropic, voluntary, state, and commercial sectors all sought to reimagine and reshape the urban landscape to improve childhood outcomes.
Table of Contents
* Introduction
* 1 Finding space for play: ‘playgrounds for poor children in populous places’
* 2 Competing playground visions: ‘a distinctly civilizing influence that gives much health and happiness’
* 3 Playgrounds for the People: ‘a magnetic force to draw children away from the dangers and excitements of the streets’
* 4 Orthodoxy and Adventure: ‘playgrounds are often as bleak as barrack squares and just as boring’
* 5 Playground Scuffles: ‘It’s ours whatever they say’
* Conclusion
* 1 Finding space for play: ‘playgrounds for poor children in populous places’
* 2 Competing playground visions: ‘a distinctly civilizing influence that gives much health and happiness’
* 3 Playgrounds for the People: ‘a magnetic force to draw children away from the dangers and excitements of the streets’
* 4 Orthodoxy and Adventure: ‘playgrounds are often as bleak as barrack squares and just as boring’
* 5 Playground Scuffles: ‘It’s ours whatever they say’
* Conclusion