Public spaces need to support a wide variety recreation and leisure activities, so that people of every age, gender and ability feel welcome, and there are activities on offer that suit people of all life-styles and life-stages. We need to plan for spaces that cater for organised sport and community events, through to casual and unplanned activities.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 11), recognise the importance of public spaces in creating sustainable cities and communities, setting the target to “provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”, by 2030.

Informal sport is in demand

Whilst a quarter our community participates in organised sport, and demand particularly for junior and women’s sport is increasing, almost double that take part in non-organised activities. Hit-up walls, half-courts and outdoor fitness equipment are increasingly being provided in public spaces to support healthy, active life-styles. Linear spaces that connect the network of parks can provide circuits for walking, running and bike riding.

Flexible, multi-use spaces

Whilst some spaces will cater more to specific interests such as skate parks, we can work to create spaces that support more diverse activities from Tai Chi, giant board games, natural play-spaces, ‘pop-up’ markets and events, to quiet spaces for reading and meditation.

New and innovative uses

There is potential to plan for new and emerging leisure pursuits; electronic fantasy games, frisbee golf, drone racing and dog agility are some of the suggestions so far.

Spaces for all seasons

To make best use of limited public space and to cater for increasing demand, we need to ensure spaces are attractive and usable year-round. This could include providing moveable shade structures, providing infrastructure that encourages informal sports at any time, through to programming events that activate spaces in the winter months.

What Council is already doing?

• Creating flexible, multi-purpose community buildings as sports pavilions are renewed.
• Ensure spaces are accessible for people of all ages and abilities through upgrading park furniture, paths and facilities.
• Installing more outdoor fitness stations.
• Undertaking an informal recreation study to better understand how people want to use our public spaces as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Opportunities

How we can provide public places that support a diverse range of activities:

• Streets can become games arcades as people are seeking to play digital games in public spaces
• Community gardens offer opportunities to participate in urban agriculture and planting, and provide for learning, social connections access to nature
• Providing enclosed spaces for dogs to safely play off-leash and for pet owners to socialise
• Designing flexible pavilion spaces that offer shelter from sun or rain, and can be programmed for community events such as performances, fitness classes and social gatherings.

Thought prompters

• How do you currently use our public spaces?
• Do you have other ideas for new and innovative uses?
• Which opportunities would you like to see implemented in your neighbourhood and where?

Return to Have Your Say on the Public Space Strategy main page.