Cities for Kids

Being in Copenhagen for almost a week, something I've noticed is that parents feel free to let their kids roam around alone in the city, and that there's a lot of different activities for kids to do here. I think the bike infrastructure and transit has a lot to do with that because kids can't drive, but I have also noticed that part of the public space here is almost always designated for kids and done so creatively to help them both play and learn. 

Traffic Garden

We were able to visit the traffic garden of Copenhagen, which is a "playground" that is a simulated road space where children are free to learn the rules of the road without any dangerous consequences. It has mini traffic lights, cycle tracks, crosswalks, paths, and even hedges to simulate houses. Children ride their bikes or walk through it to understand  how the road works and how to follow the rules. 

Mini cycle track and trash can (top) and mini intersection with lights (bottom)

Many schools are able to take their children here, as well as parents that come with their children to help them learn, but for most of the kids that were there, it also seemed fun to them and they use games to learn how to bike and how to follow the rules. I think this was an interesting way to combine fun with learning and I also think this is why not only the parents but the kids feel comfortable and confident to be independent in the city at such young ages. This might also play into why you see most people following the rules here if things like this are instilled in them as a child.

A child using the traffic garden

Something that I found interesting was how the playground reflected the shift from a car-centric city to a more bike friendly city.  The people working there told us about how kids used to drive small go-karts around the traffic garden before the switch to little bikes. There was also an old gas station that doesn't really get used by the kids anymore.

The parking lot for go karts that is now used for bikes

Another interesting thing about this was that nobody needed to bring their own bike and that the whole process was free. Everyone working there helped the kids learn how to ride and how to follow the rules with a variety of bikes to provide the kids for no charge. They even mentioned that there were some adults that came in for lessons on how to ride bikes.

Some of the free bikes and helmets available to be used

Overall, I think this was an interesting way to teach people, especially kids, how to be confident on their bike and follow the rules so eventually they can commute on their bikes alone.

Playgrounds

To see how integrated play structures were for kids in this city, I looked at and compared five different playgrounds I could find. The cool part about finding these is that it's one of the easiest things to do because they have so many playgrounds here, so I tried to search for the more creative ones with themes.

Playground 1: Bermuda Triangle

The design of this playground is focused on the Bermuda Triangle, which seemed really interesting when it was mentioned during the Gehl walking tour, so I had to see it for myself. There were lots of wooden structures made to be planes with rock walls and slides on them, and there were boats, small gardens, a track for biking practice, and courts for soccer and basketball. This was a manned playground, meaning there was an adult there, but that doesn't necessarily meant parents left their kids there alone because many parents were still watching their kids. Most of the play structures were geared towards younger kids, but there were sports areas for older kids as well. This playground is located in the middle of a park, so it's very integrated with the surroundings and easy for kids to get to. Something that was interesting was the reuse of materials that might otherwise be trash in making the structures and the use of sand to both play in and provide a safe landing for anyone jumping off of the structures.

The plane structure (top) and tires reused as swings (bottom)

Playground 2: Bird Playground

This playground had a bird theme for most of its structures, with the main structure being a wooden parrot with a rock wall and slide, and it also had a soccer/basketball area, a garden, reused materials, and sand. It was very close to a lot of housing which makes it very accessible for those that live nearby, and some windows even had a view down to the playground so parents could watch their children from above. There was construction at the edges and some old construction materials, such as a pipe, had been used to create structures, such as a tunnel, to add to the playground, which was cool to see. This was also manned, and it had bikes and toys that stayed inside the gates so that kids didn't need to bring anything of their own to come play. It also seemed very educational through the manned shack and the gardening. 

The parrot structure (top) and the construction pipe used for play (bottom)

Playground 3: Red Park

This playground had a theme of the color red and everything complimented the red ground and the red cycle track very well. This was only accessible by cycling through the park to get there, which made it much more quiet and made it feel a lot safer. This felt like it was geared towards older children, with a skate park, a play-boxing ring, some monkey bars, and a slide, along with some workout equipment, and it wasn't manned. Having the workout equipment nearby that looked like it was mostly for adults was an interesting addition and could give the adults something to do while their children play, if they choose to stay with them. This playground didn't have sand, but it did have a softer ground that allowed for a safe landing from the monkey bars. 

The bikeway and playground (top) and the boxing ring (bottom)

Playground 4: Black and White

This was mostly concrete with lines drawn on it, as well as game boards, and it had plaques near everything that made me think it was supposed to be art that was also a playground. I thought this was a cool concept because it leaves more things up to the imagination of the kids with only a couple real structures, and it seemed like many of the kids there were having fun. This was also only accessible by bike through a park, which made it a bit more secluded as well. It seemed to be for younger kids, but some older kids were using it too and it was not manned. There was also a workout zone nearby for parents or even older kids and a working tire pump near the bike parking.

The playground structure with a plaque (top), some of the lines on the ground and game tables (middle), and the tire pump (bottom)

Playground 5: Banana Playground

This playground had a monkey/banana theme for part of it, but other parts were filled with beautiful graffiti and other play structures. There was a huge rock wall that was clearly for older children or adults, but there were also other smaller structures, swings, bike tracks, and a soccer court for younger kids. This was just beside a neighborhood and could be viewed from houses, but there weren't many children using it compared to the amount of adults using the rock wall (which might have been because it had just rained). In contrast to the other playgrounds I visited, this one wasn't manned and seemed not as well maintained and not as educational as the rest, so the lack of children might have also been because parents took their kids to better playgrounds.

The rock wall (top) and a swing/soccer court (bottom)

Overall, all of the playgrounds in Copenhagen are designed so creatively so that each one is different and has something special that sets it apart from the rest, whether that is a theme, the variety of toys, or being manned. They are also super abundant throughout the city, which makes it accessible to kids and somewhere that parents would feel comfortable living with kids, not just a vacation spot. I also think the amount of parks and playgrounds that are only accessible by bike or walking makes the kids feel much more welcome here. The concept of people on bikes feeling welcome here in Copenhagen is very similar to how they make kids feel welcome. Both have infrastructure set out specifically for them so that they feel that they have a place in the city, which really makes a difference in the variety of the people that get to live and be happy here.

- Lauren