Play, politics and public space: An analysis of cultural and biopolitical concerns in the design for urban play in Copenhagen

Abstract

This paper analyzes the design of five contemporary playgrounds in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark, to understand what cultural- and biopolitical values and concerns are reflected in the design of equipment and spaces for play, and how design aims to govern and shape both play and players. The analysis points to three central tendencies in the design of playgrounds: First, that play design stages play as a spectacle that works to evoke notions of creativity, leisure and liveliness, which then become associated with the city. Second, that the playgrounds work to produce a sense of place that reflects local and national identities. Third, that the mere availability of child-friendly sites for play, as well as the design of individual equipment function to nudge for health behavior change in players by privileging and staging equipment that require full-body use.