Playful and Child Friendly Cities

Article Highlights

Color splash:
With vivid colors, the Parkly’s module becomes a vibrant hub of creativity and joy.

Bring life:
Safe and fun areas, complete with toys and games, contribute to activating public spaces and to suburban regeneration strategies.

Get active: Pop-Up Spaces promote daily physical activity, as it encourages childrens to spend more time outdoors and in movement.

The challenge:

How can children participate in the smart city? How to create welcoming and enjoyable outdoor spaces? The Children’s Pop Up Spaces projects in three locations in Helsinki aim to contribute to the regeneration of the districts while providing fun, safe and welcoming places for children in the everyday environments and neighbourhoods. The City of Helsinki commissioned Parkly to come up with a collaborative, modular and innovative solution as part of their placemaking programme in collaboration with Forum Virium Helsinki – Helsinki’s innovation company

The solution:
The project acknowledges the unique perspective and needs of children in public spaces. Fun and colorful places attract children outdoors. Now Parkly’s Pop Up brought more play and movement along their daily routes!

Designed with children, it incorporates toys and games for everyone to enjoy. RaivoBumann led the collaborative efforts for this placemaking project, with InnoGreen dedicating its expertise to the sustainable greening aspect. Together, they shaped an urban spot that emphasizes both functionality and the happiness and well-being of the city’s younger residents.

In Mellumäki the theme is visible through graphics designed by Traffic Design.

“The purpose of these kinds of pilots is to find new solutions for Helsinki. In this pilot, we wanted to test how movable green solutions work as meeting places and how they contribute to the pleasantness of sites awaiting redevelopment”, says the Helsinki Innovation Districts project’s Project Manager Maija Bergström.

In Kontula the children’s pop up space is next to the local library: a popular place for children of all ages.

Urban Revival:

Enhanced attractiveness: As children’s lifestyles become more and more sedentary, playful solutions invite them to move and spend time outdoors.
Project flexibility: By its flexible nature, a Children’s Pop Up has the potential to make any public place more dynamic and draw attention.
Environmental and aesthetic contributions: While improving the visual appeal, introducing plants adapted to children’s scale educate the younger generation to urban greening.