location Philadelphia, PA
for Kaboom! and The William Penn Foundation
type Urban Design
size 1/2 sq. mi.

design team HEIMA + Bunny Tucker

The Play District was conceived as a series of interlocked play pathways in between existing but underutilized large play spaces. These paths are formed by a series of small interventions in the public right-of-way. Unlike a traditional playground that users must travel to and set aside time for, the Play District meets users where and when they are. Lost time is unlocked: A student pauses to play at three structures between school and their subway stop. Children and their guardians explore a structure while waiting for the bus. Space is marked: A class uses the route to connect to a larger playground that they once could not via unfriendly sidewalks. The city is opened: A group of children spend the afternoon on a treasure hunt moving from structure to structure in a neighborhood they know well or in one they are just getting to know.

The District engages a variety of users: those who reside within The District and those passing through. Movement and conversation between sites and broader exploration of The Districtís territory amplify the experience of community and sense of place within the city.

The Play District will begin with a handful of installations along a core triangle of Ridge Avenue, Brown Street and Broad Street. With additional funding and interest we see the District growing over the years further into Francisville and West Poplar, connecting the two neighborhoods. In its role as space-reclaimer, The District provides these communities with fine-grained services that they would not otherwise receive. In its role as network, The District connects these disparate communities to one another.

Whether within the initial triangle or an expanded network, the structures together form a narrative “hunt” for learning & play, pulling children and their guardians from game to game. While this “dotted line” provides a diverse experience for active users moving along it, The District serves users in moments of stillness, too. Where possible, interventions are tethered to transit and key commercial and institutional entities, providing play-learning opportunities for children and their families during life’s natural pauses.

Awarded a $100,000 Play Everywhere Grant by the William Penn Foundation