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Fostering Joy : Playscapes of Urban Teens Pudlas, Marie

Abstract

Teenagers are often merely tolerated in public spaces rather than celebrated. Playgrounds, places they were once recently welcome, become spaces where adults steal suspecting glances at them, thinking the worst is about to happen. While teenagers do sometimes cause problems, this is not reason enough to ignore their needs and desires. Outdoor public spaces are crucial for the physical and social development of our youth as they learn to navigate the world on their own. Additionally, as more children and youth grow up in apartment towers, parks and other green spaces are becoming increasingly important in maintaining a connection with nature. This report examines research on what teenagers need and want in outdoor public spaces for mental and physical development. Burnaby Mountain Secondary School is explored as a site for designing interventions for teenagers, teachers, staff, and the neighbouring community to play, hangout, and explore. A connection with nature and the outdoor environment through curriculum and student clubs is emphasized.

Item Metadata

Title
Fostering Joy : Playscapes of Urban Teens
Creator
Pudlas, Marie
Date Issued
2023-05
Description
Teenagers are often merely tolerated in public spaces rather than celebrated. Playgrounds, places they were once recently welcome, become spaces where adults steal suspecting glances at them, thinking the worst is about to happen. While teenagers do sometimes cause problems, this is not reason enough to ignore their needs and desires. Outdoor public spaces are crucial for the physical and social development of our youth as they learn to navigate the world on their own. Additionally, as more children and youth grow up in apartment towers, parks and other green spaces are becoming increasingly important in maintaining a connection with nature. This report examines research on what teenagers need and want in outdoor public spaces for mental and physical development. Burnaby Mountain Secondary School is explored as a site for designing interventions for teenagers, teachers, staff, and the neighbouring community to play, hangout, and explore. A connection with nature and the outdoor environment through curriculum and student clubs is emphasized.
Subject
Teenagers; Play; Nature; Secondary School; Landscape; Teens; Burnaby Mountain Secondary School
Geographic Location
Burnaby (B.C.)
Genre
Graduating Project
Type
Text
Language
eng
Series
University of British Columbia. LARC 598
Date Available
2023-09-14
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0435873
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/85916
Affiliation
Applied Science, Faculty of; Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of
Campus
UBCV
Peer Review Status
Unreviewed
Scholarly Level
Graduate
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International