MUNICIPAL PLAY STRATEGIES, PLAY SPACE REVIEWS

A Municipal Play Strategy (or Play Space Review) is a tool to help Councils to improve the quality and diversity of all play spaces across their local government area. A Strategy helps ensure that play spaces are equitably distributed and that the playground landscape design best serves the diverse needs of local communities.

A Play Strategy is a vital tool that enables Councils to plan, budget, design and manage their parks for play, across the whole municipality. The Strategy identifies which residential areas do not have access to quality public park design for play, and they make recommendations to improve access, and quality of park landscape design. Tailored for the needs of each Council, our process typically includes a high-level review to understand the role of each play space within its catchment.

To review individual playgrounds, Jeavons typically uses a combination of site visits, maps, photos, and data sets. We review the play area design and how each is distributed, how well the design caters for all ages and abilities, and whether they provide adequate social, physical and nature-based amenities.

The resulting Strategy report is likely to include maps, reports on individual catchments across a local government area, recommendations regarding planning, budgeting, design and landscape maintenance of play spaces, summaries of key local issues, and other specific issues as required. Usually, a Play Strategy includes an implementation plan identifying priorities for improvements and upgrades.

Jeavons frequently team with @leisure Planners in the preparation of Municipal Play Strategies. Both firms have more than 20 years’ experience in working with local government, and an unmatched combination of experience in open space planning, landscape and play space design and assessment, and design for children and adults of all abilities.

We recognise the fundamental importance of open space, and of outdoor play, recreation, and social interaction to the community. The principles of diversity, equity, access and inclusion and sustainability underlie all our strategic work.