Playing with climate adaptation

Last winter was wet, very wet. The long period of rain filled the rivers until they almost flowed over the quays, like at our place in Deventer. It made it very clear again: we are facing a major climate adaptation task in the Netherlands. Heavy rain showers and long wet periods alternate with sometimes months of drought, as warnings are already being issued that the summer could become very dry again. This calls for a new approach to water: no longer just draining it away as quickly as possible, but retaining it wherever possible and allowing it to sink into the ground. And that offers wonderful opportunities in public space for playing, experiencing and meeting, at least if we deal with it in a smart way as policy makers, designers and planners.

Water is being given more space again, even in urban environments. More and more wadis are being constructed. Every new housing estate has them, but also in the existing city it is increasingly possible to create the necessary space for them. The image here is often still just a tightly mowed depression. But how beautiful would it be if this sometimes wet and usually dry green space became a challenging play area, with plenty of room for experience and movement?

Playing with water is always fun and also very educational. Especially when you show where the water comes from and how the play value changes when the weather changes. There are plenty of opportunities to "play with climate adaptation," we think at OBB Spelmakers en Ruimtedenkers. A balancing course becomes temporarily much more challenging when it has rained. The resulting island stimulates the imagination. Will you keep your feet dry when you cross the water with the swinging rope? There are already great examples scattered throughout the country, but many opportunities remain unexploited.

So what about the safety and health risks of a wadi playground? Important, of course, is the water quality. This is rainwater, and of course there is nothing wrong with that in itself. What can be a problem is pollution in the soil or an excessive amount of dog poop. So make sure the surface is clean. As far as the safety of playing near the water is concerned, it is especially important that there is good visibility of the spot and that the transition from land to (temporary) water is clear and safe, according also to the Knowledge Center for Injury Prevention on safety.nl. 

In that respect, a wadi is pre-eminently suitable for playing in because, unlike most watercourses and ponds, these conditions are often already met. By giving the wadi at the play area a gentle slope, so that a running child can easily stop and the first meter of water does not get deeper than 50 cm. you create a safe bank. The visibility of the place is usually fine with a wadi, but make sure there are good sightlines when there are plants around it. So a safe water-rich play environment is easy to realize and an asset for the children in the neighborhood.

In addition, especially in new buildings, it is still too often thought that a play area 'can easily be placed in a wadi', without thinking carefully about which user values we want to realize there. A playing field in a wadi, or challenging equipment with shock-absorbing underlay in an area that is often flooded. Yes, a wadi offers a lot of play value but no, not all play is fine in a wadi. Certainly not from the perspective of accessibility. Therefore, when designing these kinds of areas, think carefully about differentiation in height: make sure there is an area that is always dry and place the larger together-play equipment, elements with fall-under bases, playing fields and meeting facilities there. Create lower areas where you can play nicely and which become more interesting when it is wetter (think of water and sand play, balance courses, swinging ropes and hiding walls) and finally make sure there is an area that is always wetter and where there is plenty of room for experiencing natural elements. 

Thus, we not only increase biodiversity in our climate-adaptive places, but also play diversity.

Would you also like to realize a nice wadi playground? At OBB Spelmakers + Ruimtedenkers we have a lot of experience with this and therefore good practical examples and therefore we would like to think along with you as well.