Cambridge Universal Playground: A Model for Inclusive Play

The City of Cambridge has set a new standard for inclusive play with the creation of the Cambridge Universal Design Playground. This innovative playground, located in Danehy Park, is meticulously designed to be accessible and enjoyable for individuals of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. The playground embodies the principles of Universal Design (UD), ensuring that all its features are usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

A Playground Rooted in History and Community

The Louis A. DePasquale Universal Design Playground, situated in Danehy Park in West Cambridge, spans 30,000 square feet. This location has an interesting history, as it sits atop a former landfill that was once a clay pit operated by the New England Brick Company in the early 1900s. The playground's design cleverly incorporates elements inspired by this industrial past, creating a unique and engaging play experience.

The journey to create this inclusive playground began with a feasibility study in 2018. Following the study, the city selected Weston & Sampson, a design/civil engineering firm known for its commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA), to lead the design and engineering efforts. For a year and a half, the firm collaborated closely with focus groups of diverse community residents, ensuring that the playground would meet the needs of all its users. This collaborative approach ensured that the final design reflected the community's vision and priorities.

Universal Design: A Framework for Inclusion

Universal Design goes beyond mere physical accessibility. It considers the sensory, cognitive, and emotional abilities of users to create an environment that is welcoming and engaging for all. The Cambridge Universal Design Playground exemplifies this approach with its thoughtfully designed play areas, splash pad, and sensory walk zone.

The playground is the first in Cambridge to fully incorporate Universal Design (UD) - the concept that all parts should be as usable as possible, without changes, by everyone. In addition to physical accessibility, UD takes sensory, cognitive, and emotional abilities into consideration to create an environment that is welcoming to all people to the greatest extent possible.

Key Features of the Cambridge Universal Playground

The Cambridge Universal Design Playground boasts a wide array of features designed to cater to diverse needs and interests. These features include:

Sensory Hilltop

One of the most unique and captivating features of the playground is the "Sensory Hilltop," created by Cambridge artist Mitch Ryerson. This naturalized play experience integrates seamlessly into its surroundings, offering a variety of sensory-rich activities. The hilltop is located on a naturally sloped area and is accessible via a labyrinth-style pathway.

The Sensory Hilltop features log steppers, a log climber, and a central wooden structure, encouraging children to explore and engage with nature. Visitors can create sounds with a wooden marimba, and benches with animal-shaped engravings provide a tactile experience. A birdbath made of Roxbury puddingstone, a mineral-rich multicolored stone, adds to the hilltop's beauty and symbolic meaning.

Pipedreams

Another artistic collaboration is the art-play sculpture, Pipedreams, designed by students at NuVu Studio in Central Square. This innovative school focuses on developing a variety of design skills. The tunnel-shaped installation celebrates the industrial legacy of Danehy Park. It features smooth wooden planks that curve, window features, and handholds for children to climb.

Play Structures

At Cambridge’s first and only playground that follows the concept of universal design a 20-foot-wide wooden tower rises into the air. Children can enter the tower in several ways, including up a ladder, via a climbing wall, or over a bridge wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

The Senior Play area includes a tower, sliding bars, and a slide. People can access the tower by walking across an elevated bridge, climbing up a ladder, or using sliding bars.

Sensory Walk Zone

The Sensory Walk Zone features a pathway designed with bands of crushed stone, concrete, and granite pavers. Whether or not someone uses a mobility device, they experience tactile and auditory responses from the changing textures. A music area at the end of the Sensory Walk Zone invites visitors to play rain and chime sounds.

Splash Pad

The Splash Pad provides waterplay fun in the summer months.

Inclusive Climbing and Sliding Structures

One of the inclusive climbing and sliding structures at Danehy Park

Swing Set

At the foot of the hilltop sits a swing set containing a mix of standard swing seats and wheelchair swing seats side by side.

Read also: Finding Accommodation in Cambridge

A Testament to Community Collaboration

The Cambridge Universal Design Playground is a testament to the power of community collaboration. The City of Cambridge worked closely with a focus group of parents and other community stakeholders whose lives are connected to individuals with a range of capacities and abilities. The focus group was well positioned to help inform design solutions that would serve the specific needs of Cambridge’s population.

The design process also included collaboration with the local arts community, including an artist with autism who creates vivid and compelling acrylic paintings. Collaborators also included the NuVu Studio, an innovative school for middle and high school students that focuses on developing myriad design skills, and Mitch Ryerson, a Cambridge-native artist renowned for his ability to design naturalized play experiences that are well integrated into their surroundings.

Sustainability and Environmental Considerations

In addition to inclusive play features, sustainability was a priority in design. Natural and recycled materials were incorporated as much as possible, and over 60 new trees were planted across the play area. The playground also features on-site stormwater management features with educational signage and protection of the existing tree canopy and new plantings in support of Cambridge’s urban forestry efforts.

The facility is on a 0.75-acre, underutilized grassy site on top of a closed landfill that offers a convenient location, is close to other recreational facilities, and provides nearby access to public transportation. The team began by conducting a thorough site evaluation and holding coordination meetings with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The team then performed geotechnical investigations and developed preliminary concepts. After refining those concepts and determining the preferred design elements, we developed schematic design plans and prepared construction documentation to put the project out to bid. Design and construction permitting occurred concurrently and was a collaborative effort with regulatory agencies. A key part of the project was overseeing construction activities and working with the contractor to respond to the inevitably unpredictable subsurface conditions of a closed landfill.

The Impact of Inclusive Play

The Cambridge Universal Design Playground has had a profound impact on the community. It provides a space where children of all abilities can play together, fostering social inclusion and understanding.

The playground was packed, even though it snowed that morning, Ryder explained. “His mother was behind him, and they both had huge smiles on their faces, and they told me they’d been waiting for this for eight years.”

Ryerson said that his team built the playground’s “sensory hilltop,” a high point overlooking the park, to engage children with physical or cognitive disabilities with what he calls “thoughtful play.” The area includes a wheelchair-accessible labyrinth, a wooden marimba to stimulate auditory senses, and raised copper animals on the benches for kids to touch.

Universal Design Elements

Universal design elements include:

Sensory/nature play areas
A play slope that makes use of the site’s high elevation point to engage and encourage climbing and rolling
A water play/splash pad area
Separate, accessible, and active play areas for children ages 2-5 and 5-12 while accommodating physical, sensory, and social needs
A primary entry area with parking and a drop-off zone, a secondary entry area, and inclusive circulation
Areas to accommodate gathering (both social and refuge)
Elements that offer a balance of sun and shade

A Model for the Future

The Cambridge Universal Design Playground serves as a model for other communities looking to create inclusive play spaces. By prioritizing accessibility, sensory engagement, and community collaboration, the playground provides a welcoming and enriching experience for all.

Ryerson said that he knew the playground was a success in February, when he saw an 8-year-old boy wheeling his way up to the sensory hilltop. “The playground was packed, even though it snowed that morning, ” Ryder explained. “His mother was behind him, and they both had huge smiles on their faces, and they told me they’d been waiting for this for eight years.”

According to Ryerson, the concept of a recreational gathering place for everyone should remain a goal for all future designs.

tags: #cambridge #universal #playground #features