"A city that moves at the pace of its people rather than its cars is a city that understands progress."
- Catherine Conlon, Senior Medical Officer, HSE, Cork. Former Director of Human Health and Nutrition at safefood.
www.echolive.ie/corkviews/ar...
"Too often when we think about play in a planning context, we default to thinking about structured activity and providing spaces that are designated and equipped.
- Gemma Hyde, Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)
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Resources can be downloaded for free here: www.changex.org/ie/playful-s...
🎉A DAY FOR PLAY! 🎉 Wishing our 362 communities running Playful Streets across the globe 🇮🇪🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇦🇿🇦🇵🇰🇲🇽🇩🇰🌍 a very ✨Happy International Day of Play✨
Thanks to ChangeX & The LEGO Foundation for their incredible support
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 are now in
‣ 9 countries 🇮🇪🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇦🇿🇦🇵🇰🇲🇽🇩🇰🇻🇳
‣ 362 communities
‣ 5 languages 🇬🇧🇺🇦🇻🇳🇪🇸🇩🇰
Working on The Gaps reinforced what we know and love about good design:
– Start with listening
– Value local knowledge
– Design for care, not just function
– Celebrate the everyday
Design is not just what we make — it’s how we work together!
www.dlrcoco.ie/environment-...
𝗩𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 to add even joy and playfulness, encouraging children to return to the streets and laneways!
𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 with armrests and backrests to offer comfort for elderly users and all community members.
𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 manage surface water runoff, enhancing sustainability and greenery.
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 such as climbing frames, stepping stones through planting areas and ground-based games to encourage street play.
𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 created by narrowing road widths, reducing them from 6 meters to 3.5 metres to prioritise pedestrian and active mobility.
𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 on the Sallynoggin Road that create a welcoming entrance and define the space.
✨Befores → Afters✨ of The Gaps, Sallynoggin, May 2025.
"What makes this project truly unique is that it is entirely community led."
- Frank Curran, Chief Executive, DRLCC
In partnership with @dlrcc.bsky.social @aplayfulcity.bsky.social & the National Transport Authority
Trial a Strand Road cycle path for 12 months
Dublin City Council won its legal case after years of Court battles. We cannot listen to those who are trying to block quick action on climate change, road safety, and increasing mobility options.
Please sign and share!
Why is it that road safety campaigns so often emphasise high-vis & helmets, yet rarely directly address the dangerous design of vehicles — especially the height & bluntness of "SUV" bonnets that put pedestrians, particularly children, at far greater risk?
www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/n...
We are adding more and more vehicles, of increasing size, into a finite physical space that was designed for fewer, and smaller, vehicles.
In Ireland, we went from approx.700,000 cars in 1985 (for a pop of 3.5m) to 2.5m cars in 2023 (pop. 5million).
What if a tree could talk—and not just talk, but share its experience of the world around it?
The Talking Tree project by Droga5 Dublin & Accenture Song brings a 150-year-old horse chestnut tree to life using localized AI & real-time environmental data.
www.rte.ie/news/2025/04...
The OECD "Cities for All Ages" report provides a structured & evidence-based approach for governments to cultivate urban environments that are inclusive & supportive for residents of all ages.
The full report:
www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
"Design Justice begins with a simple premise:
the built environment is never neutral. Cities are designed, & design is power.
Who gets to shape a city? Who benefits from its architecture, its transport, its housing? Who is displaced, erased, pushed to the margins?"
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
"The objective is therefore not to create specific facilities for children, but to consider the place of young people in order to improve public spaces for the benefit of all."
theconversation.com/pourquoi-les...
🚀👏 A collaborative project between #NationalTransportAuthority, #dlrCC & @aplayfulcity.bsky.social bringing local community in Sallynoggin together to reimagine an underutilised laneway as a beautiful and meaningful space for all those who live, work & play there.
www.dlrcoco.ie/news/general...
Situations like these are among the key reasons why A Playful City was founded!
R.Kikuo Johnson’s "Upstairs, Downstairs" cover for The New Yorker captures a reality that too many parents and caregivers face: cities are not always designed with young children—or those pushing strollers—in mind.
Which came first: the chicken (deadly driving) or the egg (a culture that normalizes it)?
Every £1 spent on community sport and physical activity generates over £4 for the English economy and society.
www.sportengland.org/news-and-ins...
"66% of you voted "in favor" of greening and pedestrianizing 500 new streets across all neighborhoods. In the coming weeks, a consultation will be held to define the list of streets and begin the city's transformation!"
Streets designed for play, not just car drivers!
There's a vision for a 1km-long ‘play link’ for families, offering a dedicated space for recreation.
It's all about putting people first & creating a truly liveable and playful community...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
"a new narrative is key to how we might reimagine the future, given that some 60% of us live in towns.
In this I turned to Cathal Mulry, director at A Playful City and UCC lecturer in urban design futures ..."
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
This is the exact opposite of what should be happening if we want children to be outside, moving, healthy and happy! We and allies will be strongly opposing this change.
I keep seeing the same common theme: the impossible standards placed on anyone advocating changes to our transport system. Question car dependency and you're expected to address every inequality and injustice at the same time; but support car dependency and you'll never be challenged on these issues
What makes a street exciting, relaxing, or stressful to walk on?
A new study presents a systematic way to analyse how urban design shapes emotions.
✨ Lively streets excite 🎭
🌿 Green spaces relax 🍃
🏢 Monotony bores
🚗 Traffic stress 😨
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
