Park Life in Berlin
On a recent trip to Berlin, the city’s abundance of public parks did not go unnoticed.
Being a dense city, the quirky built fabric of Berlin has resulted in many tight spaces being transformed into areas for everyone to enjoy, typically represented by avante garde-esque playgrounds. Many of the playgrounds within the city followed some sort of unique theme, with no two parks looking anything alike. Perhaps a nod to the cities’ highly dynamic and experimental art scene, these small spaces, often discretely tucked away from the busy streets, are a way to showcase how parks can ignite a child’s imagination and creativity. Additionally, they have parks everywhere! This made it clear that children and families are highly considered in city’s planning, which may not normally be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Berlin. Thus, these parks quietly reiterate the importance of both accessibility and inclusivity within Berlin’s social structures.
According to this article by the Guardian, the Germans are moving more and more away from “traditional” playgrounds (especially swingsets, slides, and seesaws), and instead experimenting more with “adventure playgrounds” (aka Abenteuerspielplätze) that challenge children's motor skills and encourage them to take risks (Oltermann, 2021). This has resulted in intricate designs of said parks, which are strikingly different in comparison to the typical community parks we see in North America – some of which looked like borderline art installations. Though there is a degree of concern for safety, it seems the Germans have a more relaxed approach to the potential of injury in comparison to how Canada designs its parks and playgrounds, as is addressed in the article linked above.
Another note from these public spaces was the almost overwhelming presence of ping pong tables. I was not aware that ping pong was such a popular sport in Germany! Many parks had at least one (if not many) tables, often utilized by players of all ages. Many other community members seemed to gather in these areas to simply hangout and enjoy their time outside as well. This is reflective of how public parks in Germany exist as an integral part of a community’s social makeup.
As a passerby, it became clear that these spaces are cherished by the wide range of community members that use them. The encouragement of public park use in Berlin makes me wonder if and how we can adopt the same degree of use and integration of such spaces in Edmonton some day.
Check out another great article on this topic here: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/travel/berlin-family-holidays.html
Written by GAPSS member + VP Internal Vanessa W.
Cover photo courtesy of https://playground-landscape.com/en/article/2752-upgrade-and-new-design-of-einstein-park-and-its-playground.html.