TY - JOUR
T1 - Reimagining spaces where children play
T2 - developing guidance for thermally comfortable playgrounds in Canada
AU - Kennedy, Eric
AU - Olsen, Heather
AU - Vanos, Jennifer
AU - Vecellio, Daniel J.
AU - Desat, Marla
AU - Richters, Karina
AU - Rutledge, Alexandra
AU - Richardson, Gregory R.A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is financially supported by Standards Council of Canada, Standards to Support Resilience in Infrastructure Program.
Funding Information:
Thank you to Kelly Montgomery for initiating work on this project at the Standards Council of Canada and to the various experts across Canada and the United States who responded to the NPPS?s survey. We are grateful to Tree Canada who, with support from Health Canada?s Climate Change and Innovation Bureau, integrated thermal comfort into their national playground design competition. We thank the members of CAN/CSA Z614 Technical Committee (TC-S704) and the student researchers?Anna Bourke, Brooke Brown, Kayla Dustin (NPPS) and Melissa Le Geyt (Health Canada)?who supported this project in various capacities. We are also grateful to Susan Blanchard, Laura De Carolis, Sanaz Sarhaddi, and Jay Storfer for their contributions to the Windsor project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Setting: Planning and designing thermally comfortable outdoor spaces is increasingly important in the context of climate change, particularly as children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental extremes. However, existing playground standards focus on equipment and surfacing to reduce acute injuries, with no mention of potential negative health consequences related to heat illness, sun exposure, and other thermal extremes. The goal of this project was to develop proposed guidelines for designing thermally comfortable playgrounds in Canada for inclusion within the CAN/CSA-Z614 Children’s playground equipment and surfacing standard. Intervention: The project to develop guidance for thermally comfortable playgrounds was initiated with a municipal project in Windsor, Ontario, to increase shade, vegetation, and water features at parks and playgrounds to provide more comfortable experiences amid the increased frequency of hot days (≥30°C). The lack of available information to best manage environmental conditions led to a collaborative effort to build resources and raise awareness of best practices in the design of thermally comfortable playgrounds. Outcomes: A group of multidisciplinary experts developed technical guidance for improving thermal comfort at playgrounds, including a six-page thermal comfort annex adopted within a national playground and equipment standard. The annex has been used by Canadian schools in a competition to design and implement green playgrounds. Implications: Both the technical report and the thermal comfort annex provide increased awareness and needed guidance for managing environmental conditions at playgrounds. Thermally safe and comfortable play spaces will help ensure that Canada’s playgrounds are designed to minimize environmental health risks for children.
AB - Setting: Planning and designing thermally comfortable outdoor spaces is increasingly important in the context of climate change, particularly as children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental extremes. However, existing playground standards focus on equipment and surfacing to reduce acute injuries, with no mention of potential negative health consequences related to heat illness, sun exposure, and other thermal extremes. The goal of this project was to develop proposed guidelines for designing thermally comfortable playgrounds in Canada for inclusion within the CAN/CSA-Z614 Children’s playground equipment and surfacing standard. Intervention: The project to develop guidance for thermally comfortable playgrounds was initiated with a municipal project in Windsor, Ontario, to increase shade, vegetation, and water features at parks and playgrounds to provide more comfortable experiences amid the increased frequency of hot days (≥30°C). The lack of available information to best manage environmental conditions led to a collaborative effort to build resources and raise awareness of best practices in the design of thermally comfortable playgrounds. Outcomes: A group of multidisciplinary experts developed technical guidance for improving thermal comfort at playgrounds, including a six-page thermal comfort annex adopted within a national playground and equipment standard. The annex has been used by Canadian schools in a competition to design and implement green playgrounds. Implications: Both the technical report and the thermal comfort annex provide increased awareness and needed guidance for managing environmental conditions at playgrounds. Thermally safe and comfortable play spaces will help ensure that Canada’s playgrounds are designed to minimize environmental health risks for children.
KW - Child
KW - Environment
KW - Environment and public health
KW - Microclimate
KW - Playground
KW - Recreation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107963992&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85107963992&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.17269/s41997-021-00522-7
DO - 10.17269/s41997-021-00522-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 34129213
AN - SCOPUS:85107963992
SN - 0008-4263
VL - 112
SP - 706
EP - 713
JO - Canadian Journal of Public Health
JF - Canadian Journal of Public Health
IS - 4
ER -