Playground âDe Wildernisâ Sloterpark, Amsterdam - C-Change

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Sloterpark area The Sloterpark is a large green area in the middle of the Western Garden Cities of Amsterdam. A huge deep lake in the centre characterizes the area. From original it is a dredged lake for the raising of the surrounding residential area. The park is currently not fully used; this applies to the surrounding residential neighbourhoods as well as to the rest of Amsterdam. In the structure vision of Amsterdam the park has to be developed as an attractive area for recreation for the citizens of the Western Garden City and the people of Amsterdam. In addition, the water in the Sloterplas, especially in the summertime has a poor quality due bleu algae’s. Bleu algae’s has many causes, both by excess off nutrients from the streets (from dogs and the excessive feeding of the gooses around the lake), the lack of ground vegetation through carps and the concrete walls surrounding the lake. At present the city wants to improve this by making natural bank the lake and reed filtering areas. With the creation of the natural playground in this area, the City of Amsterdam aims to raise the awareness of communities and individuals on climate change issues, such as energy, biodiversity, water about. To educate young people on climate change is important. The playground is located in the middle of a triangle with a children’s farm, a nature and educational centre and a botanical garden. The development of the playground has been part of a series of projects to enhance the attractiveness of the Sloterplas area. There will be a disc golf course, different playgrounds, recreation areas and two renewed harbours. Methodology: We selected a non-profit foundation “Stichting (foundation) Alexander”, specialized in participation processes with children, to assist us with developing the design of the natural playground in a co-creation process with children, parents, experts and stakeholders. Stichting Alexander and the designer of the city district had to include themes like climate change and health in the design of a natural playground. The landscaper and the participation officer worked in close cooperation in line with those themes. The project team worked actively together to develop a design for the playground with a sound social basis, a design that would meet the demands of the neighbourhood and the district council.
The following methods were used: Street interviews in Nieuw-West Street interviews in Amsterdam Tinker afternoon in Nieuw-West Junior creation team Senior creation team Stakeholders Children’s press office Parents panel > children, parents from the neighbourhood > children, parents from de rest off Amsterdam > children from the neighbourhood > children, day care > professionals from the field > professionals, including politicians > schoolchildren from the neighbourhood > parents Street interviews The first contact with the neighbourhood and the city was through street interviews. We have interviewed 25 children, parents, child keepers and grandparents. These interviews made crystal clear that the participants found it difficult to imagine a natural playground. Conversations about what you can do in a natural playground and showing some images helped a lot. The existing lack of knowledge was an important outcome of these interviews. More creative approaches were desirable. Rig up afternoon In the second phase, we decided to organize a rig up afternoon at the annual neighbourhood festival. Children made their own playground with natural materials like twigs, moss and cork. We decided to show images of natural playgrounds to explain what it is. With great enthusiasm the children created about 30 designs. The interviews with the “designers” of the models and their parents showed that the idea of a natural playground would count on a lot of sympathy. Junior creation team During the first meeting, the team gained more in-depth knowledge of natural playgrounds. We visited a natural playground. Before the meeting the children got no information on the visit. We could observe their first reactions. In the beginning the children were free to play. After it, we asked questions about what they liked and what they didn’t like. In the second meeting we asked the children to make designs of a natural playground. The third and last meeting of the junior creation team was an interactive afternoon with parents, professionals and politicians. The children presented their models and wishes for the new playground. About 40 people were involved in this phase. Senior creation team The senior creation team consisted of a mix of professionals, parents and NGO’s. We invited 28 persons. Nobody showed up on the evening itself. This was partly due to cancellations, sickness or other commitments. None of the Moroccan and Turkish mothers came, despite intensive counselling and reconfirming. After contacting this group we found out that this group finds it difficult to say “no”. On top of that the meeting place was to formal. We decided to organize a special parents meeting at a school to engage the Moroccan en Turkish women as well. Stakeholders meeting At the stakeholders meeting, representatives of 7 different organisations were present. Again the attendance was low. This time apparently because no financial compensation was
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Playground âDe Wildernisâ Sloterpark, Amsterdam - C-Change