Play Equipment: The Most Underrated Urban Infrastructure

In this episode of Play Attention, Beth Cooper is joined by Anamaria Castillo, Landscape Strategies Director at KALQ Studio, who argues that if landscape architects want to design for play, they need far more in-depth training to do it well.

She shares why play is still often treated as a “tick-box” extra rather than core urban infrastructure, and why education in play design should be as fundamental as planting, drainage or materials.

From Dubai to Costa Rica, the US to Europe, Anamaria gives a global perspective on how climate shapes play, why flexibility and capacity matter in urban spaces and why one group is consistently overlooked: teenagers, who - she says - still very much want to play!

They also discuss inclusive design, listening to children’s voices, and what it would take to create cities that genuinely support play for everyone.

Find out more:

KALQ Studio

Play Attention is a podcast from Timberplay - exploring the thinkers, designers and changemakers shaping the future of play.

Hosted by Beth Cooper, Independent Play Consultant.

Theme music by Dave Mullen Jnr 

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