Children at play / Department of the Environment.

  • Great Britain. Department of the Environment.
Date:
1973
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Children at play / Department of the Environment. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (Figure 28). Warwick was an exception to this; though a mixed- rise estate it was not traffic-segregated and in its layout more like the low-rise estates of houses. 57. On the mixed and medium-rise estates paved and access areas were nearly always the two areas closest to the dwellings, and thus the two most popular places for play. On the mixed-rise estates a quarter of the play took place on paving and two-fifths in access areas. On the medium-rise estates this pattern was completely reversed and two-fifths of the play took place on paving and only a quarter in access areas. The most likely reason for this clear difference between the two types of estate is the differing proportions of children living at ground level. On the medium-rise estates, except for Royal College Street where the play patterns were similar to those on a mixed-rise estate, signifi- cantly more children lived at ground level than on the mixed-rise estates. More of them were able to make use of the paving at ground level for doorstep play. For the greater numbers of children living off the ground on the mixed-rise estates, the deck and access balconies fulfilled the same functions for doorstep play, particularly for the under-fives. 58. Paved areas were the most popular location for active pur- suits, particularly for riding tricycles and wheeled toys. Though a path system has to be provided for access, with a little care and at little extra cost it can be an interesting and stimulating environ- ment for children. While a series of unconnected paths and paved areas may meet the needs of adults, they are not so suitable for play unless they are connected together to form a linked system through which the child can circulate and use wheeled toys and ride tricycles (Figure 36). Preferably such a path system should be sited on the more active parts of the estate near shops, schools, play areas and dwellings where children live. Pathways with few outlets should be placed near the dwellings of elderly residents and other families without children, to reduce the possibilities of disturbance from the noise of children’s play (Figure 37). 59. Steps often prevent children from using paths as freely as they may wish. The steps at Fleury Road led children to create their own cycle paths in the grassed slopes alongside the steps, which