

Taxonomies of Lost NYC Playgrounds - _nullandnull_
http://www.jamestrainor.net/692

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jshute
My wife works on the playgrounds in Central Park and tells me that monkey bars
with over 9 feet of fall height and kids on tire swings right below them
(which I cringe at as "collateral damage") are, indeed, a thing of the past.
But many beloved spaces are receiving redesigns with the original creative
vision in mind -- but also years of community feedback to benefit from. These
are some of the most trafficked spaces on earth. From the outside looking in,
the Conservancy has always struck me as a great institution; they strive for
creative excellence while still seeking to understand the unique needs and
constraints that come with maintaining an island of public space in the
densest city in America. Just like our industry, great engineering is the art
of careful compromise. The fact that it's not one big rubberized parking lot
with legal disclaimers posted is a huge testament to their creativity and
humanity.

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wylie
I'm missing some context here- what happened to these playgrounds? Why have
they gone missing? For example, it looks like Central Park still has a lot of
playgrounds. [http://www.centralpark.com/guide/activities/children-s-
activ...](http://www.centralpark.com/guide/activities/children-s-
activities/playgrounds.html)

~~~
matt_morgan
Actually one of his lost playgrounds is still there,

[http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-
do/attractio...](http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-
do/attractions/adventure-playground.html)

but it does look somewhat different. There are however a few other playgrounds
(103rd st., Ancient Playground) on that list you found that have similar
features.

It looks to me like he's lamenting the loss of a certain kind of vision in
modernist playgrounds that were less about swings and slides and more about
stimulating creative play. I don't know a lot about it, but you can probably
dig for it. What I'll say though is that while the modernism might have been
lost, the adventure has not and new playgrounds in NYC get better and better
with every new or rebuilt one.

~~~
oddthink
Adventure playground is there, but most of the tunnels are blocked off. You
can't go inside any of the pyramids any more. It's still a great space, but
it's not a free-wheeling as it was perhaps intended to be.

~~~
matt_morgan
Are you sure about that? I was there a year and a half ago and had no trouble
with the tunnels. And the similar pyramids at the 103rd st. and Ancient
Playgrounds have tunnels.

