The history of the American playground doesn`t stretch back too far, and much of it is centered right here in Chicago. Shortly after Jane Addams founded Hull House in 1889, she allocated a parcel of land for one of the first model playgrounds built in America. Over the next two decades, Chicago continued to play a premier role in developing park lands and playgrounds and was the first major city to fully integrate play and recreational facilities into parks. In ”American Playgrounds,” written in 1908 by Everett Mero, the author points to the $6.5 million that was spent building Chicago parks between 1903 and 1908, a sizable amount of money for the time. The idea of recreational activity, long subdued by a strong Puritan work ethic, flourished after World War II, giving way to a playground at practically every park and school that was built.
Despite earnest efforts, the playground designs of the 1940`s and `50s lacked the benefit of contemporay research or the complete understanding of just how important play time really is to a child. ”The typical `urban`
playground could not be a more hostile environment for children`s play if it had been designed for the express purpose of preventing play. Characteristically, it is an unbroken expanse of concrete or asphalt pavement, punctuated by the forlorn presence of metal swings, a slide and some seesaws.” These harsh words come from Richard Attner, author of ”Design for Play.” Like many educators and parents, he looks forward to the revamping of existing playgrounds.
