Playing in Public

One element of public infrastructure that I think is critically valuable to developing a culture of people existing outside in community is space for play--specifically but critically, not exclusively for children.Or at least, not in a way that makes it weird for adults to be present in those spaces if they're not immediately visually attached to a child. We get weird enough about adults and kids together in our society (intergenerational connections are actually kind of important?) but I can see the reason why a wholly-child-centric space with non-attached adults makes people less than fully happy. So urban spaces should have space for both.Today I want to highlight some examples of what I have liked in some parks I have been to.1. Effective Use of Unused SpaceLet's start with a personal favorite: the downtown park and parklike spaces in Toronto.This could be a very narrow skyscraper, but otherwise it's not really going to get a lot of use: it's right next to the expressway and it's…