design: architecting spaces for play

recreation & leisure can get overlooked as an unserious line item in a city’s budget.

this assumption is shifting as play gets increasingly credited for not just improving physical health, but also sparking creativity, building conflict-resolution skills, and strengthening neighbourhoods. plus, it’s fun.

​as cities respond to changes in socializing and free time, and their impact on our health, city halls are pulling out their recreation & leisure strategies and asking: what does it take to create more play?

to answer this question, doors open toronto convened playground designers, landscape architects, and culture planners to create a public conversation about play as a pillar of healthy civic life with real-life examples.

following are speaker highlights.

enriching playgrounds for expanded play.
beneficial risk, or non-hazardous decision moments like jumps and puzzles, teaches children about strategic thinking, which keeps them active for longer and encourages other ages to participate.

discovery opportunities, like atypical designs and climbing levels with clear sight lines, inspire a sense of wonder. when we don’t know what to expect from a playground, we are driven to play by a desire to explore.

​non-prescriptive play, like wave structures abstract enough for sitting, climbing, or becoming an imagined ship or mountain, lets the same place be whatever the players wish to imagine.

—alex waffle, landscape architect, earthscape play

building skateparks for social cohesion.
once considered an outlaw activity, skateboarding has become a social fixture across identities, ages, and skill levels, with low barriers to entry as an affordable, self-directed activity.

much of this growth started by families seeking energetic outlets close to home, which led cities to start including skateparks in their master plans and recreation strategies. 

now, the once fringe movement has grown into a city-sanctioned sport with professionally-designed terrain surrounded by seating, shade, lighting, and pathways that connect to the neighbourhood. 

—bill gurney, landscape architect and project lead, new line skateparks

activating scenes for unexpected connection.
the best-case scenario of social infrastructure is when it compels both friends and strangers to gather and engage in a unique way.

these tools help: familiarity prompts (you see a swing, you know how to use it), colour (if a structure stands out, it signals attention and use), and sustainability (repurposing materials that model education and intentional use). 

then there’s the magic ingredient: people using the space in ways you didn’t expect, and embracing it all the more because of it.

—coryn kempster and julia jamrozik, artists and designers

designing play into public works.
not all play happens on the playground. when public works are equipped with play prompts, it stimulates interaction in otherwise barren spaces.

less restricted by safety rules as non-formal play areas, parking lots become concert venues, plazas become exhibition spaces, and stormwater ponds become natural swimming pools for public enjoyment.

configuring civic infrastructure in this way challenges where play belongs and makes the most of the public space that surrounds us. 

—elise shelley, director of landscape, gh3*

transforming voids into public treasures.
underpasses and other overlooked infrastructure can feel off-limits, but with the right design cues become places where people want to spend time.

invitations are key: public washrooms, comfortable shelter, organized programming, regular promotion, and clear signage all welcome people in (or under).
​
transforming forgotten spaces into welcoming ones is an affordable, high-impact strategy for cities where every square metre counts.

—ilana altman co-executive director, the bentway

resources:
​+ torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/doors-open-toronto-2025-architects-talk-spaces-for-play/
+ vimeo.com/1088561128/fd992416b0