The term playground generally indicates the areas that are set aside in gardens and urban parks for children to play in: delimited, controlled spaces that are protected from the intrusion of the adult world by a high rail fence, often they contain nothing more than a few pieces that have been ordered from a catalog with the certainty that, just like the furnishings of a house must inevitably include tables chairs, couches, armchairs, etc., a play area necessarily has to have slides, swings, rocking horses, and the like.
The desolation of these playgrounds is the mirror image of a society which leaves very little space to playing, unless it is behind a fence, beyond the box office of a theme park, imprisoned and neutralized within the confines of “free time”.
[Alberto Lacovoni, GameZONE, Playgrounds between ritual scenarios and reality, ISBN 3-7643-0151-1]
Similarly
The term park generally indicates a publicly owned area of land, usually with grass, trees, paths, sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, and other features for recreation and relaxation. These areas are set aside in cities and urban centres for people to play: delimited, controlled spaces that are protected from the intrusion of the surrounding urban, unnatural manmade world.
Park – A publicly owned area of land, usually with grass, trees, paths, sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, and other features for recreation and relaxation
Prison – A place or condition of captivity or unwanted restraint
[Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation]
what do you think of the plans for the new playground in Endcliffe? I’ve sent them already-if you’ve not got them get in touch with me!
Hi,
Do you think there would be any interest in organizing a community-built, cuswtom-designed playground. That’s what we do.
We have only one, so far, in England. A search for “Finstock playground” will find it.
I’d love to do more there.
Regards,
Michael Cohen