The Complete Guide to Playground Development will guide you from design through construction, and every step in between, to your new dream playground in simple easy to understand terms. It also has information on the importance of play in child development; as well as resources to qualify playground equipment vendors, create a Play Program, define your site conditions, define your budget, follow current guidelines, find consultants, and certify safe and compliant installations. If you are planning to renovate or build a new playground this manual is an invaluable resource.

This document will: assist schools in planning playgrounds for children of all abilities; show ways that this can be done using limited resources; and suggest ways that such universal playgrounds can contribute to the overall educational objectives being developed in BC. This document will help organize the planning; identify the most useful applications; and determine the resources required. Can be utilized to augment individualized programs developed for students with special needs. Bibliography. Checklists and survey forms.

This professional guide presents best practices for park and recreation professionals and others interested in creating a community dog park. From concept to completion, you'll get step-by-step instructions on creating a great off-leash facility. It also discusses related topics such as location considerations, community benefits, design options, maintenance concerns, amenities, suggested rules, and program opportunities.

Parks and recreation systems have evolved in remarkable ways over the past two decades. No longer just playgrounds and ballfields, parks and open spaces have become recognized as essential green infrastructure with the potential to contribute to community resiliency and sustainability. To capitalize on this potential, the parks and recreation system planning process must evolve as well. In Parks and Recreation System Planning, David Barth provides a new, step-by-step approach to creating parks systems that generate greater economic, social, and environmental benefits. Barth first advocates that parks and recreation systems should no longer be regarded as isolated facilities, but as elements of an integrated public realm. Each space should be designed to generate multiple community benefits. Next, he presents a new approach for parks and recreation planning that is integrated into community-wide issues. Chapters outline each step—evaluating existing systems, implementing a carefully crafted plan, and more—necessary for creating a successful, adaptable system. Throughout the book, he describes initiatives that are creating more resilient, sustainable, and engaging parks and recreation facilities, drawing from his experience consulting in more than 100 communities across the U.S. Parks and Recreation System Planning meets the critical need to provide an up-to-date, comprehensive approach for planning parks and recreation systems across the country. This is essential reading for every parks and recreation professional, design professional, and public official who wants their community to thrive.

This thoughtful, thought-provoking guide approaches playground design from a logical but often-overlooked starting point--the child. All too often, play facilities are designed for the benefit of those who build and maintain them rather than those who use them. "Design for Play" begins with an examination of what play is--a learning process--and shows that the typical playground, a sterile expanse of asphalt relieved only by steel swings and steep slides, is dangerous not only to children's physical safety but also to their mental and emotional development. This book demonstrates that there are sensible alternatives to the "asphalt-desert" playground.The criteria for design outlined here are based on the needs of all those who are involved with playgrounds--and on the lessons to be learned from the way children play in the streets of our cities, when they invent their own facilities and create their own play environment. The practical application of these criteria is illustrated and evaluated in the case history of a major playground and in a survey of creative play facilities in the United States and Europe.Also discussed are the design of playgrounds for handicapped children and a variety of neglected opportunities for play facilities, including rooftops, sidewalks, and barges.Richard Dattner, an architect, has designed numerous playgrounds, including the highly acclaimed Adventure Playground in New York City's Central Park. A number of these are pictured in this fully illustrated book.