OUTDOOR FACILITIES AND

OPEN SPACE
PPE 105- Planning and Management of Athletic Facilities and Equipment

BY: BANTUAS, ABDUL RAHMAN G.

• Growth projections for the next decade provide evidence that few, if any,
metropolitan areas in the United States have sufficient open space to meet the
demands of the future.
• Based on these projections, it is imperative that planning boards and commissions
on all levels of government review previous planning philosophies with the intent
of revision or, when necessary, the development of new master plans.
• As open space becomes less and less available, greater consideration must be
given to multiple use of these lands and every measure taken to use them most
efficiently. Municipal and school authorities should acquire, plan, and develop
areas for joint use.
• This process calls for professional guidance in the fields of planning, designing,
and engineering, and for the advice and counsel of professionals in the fields of
education and recreation.
• The most efficient and successful planning is accomplished when
everyone in the organization, particularly those who will be identified with
the finished product, have an opportunity to participate in the planning.
Those who are to be served also should have a voice in the planning
through community meetings.
Standards
• A variety of standards for the size, location, and number of educational and
recreational areas and facilities have been proposed over the years by
persons with a great deal of experience in the operation of such areas and
facilities. These standards are sound when formulated to make possible a
program to serve the basic needs of people for physical education and
recreation. However, they are not valid in prescribing specific activities or
facilities for every neighborhood.
• While they are a useful guide in the acquisition and construction of a property, standards
can seldom, if ever, be applied completely or without modification because a typical or
common situation is seldom found. Standards are formulated to indicate a basis for the
intelligent development of local plans.
• Therefore, the standards for areas and facilities should be reviewed and appraised for
each planning unit and modified whenever changing conditions warrant their revision.
• Standards for areas and facilities developed by private planning firms, public agencies,
and service organizations at the local, state, and national levels have been widely
endorsed throughout the United States and have provided the basis for
recommendations in scores of long-range plans for school, park, and recreation systems.
The proposal that at least one acre of recreation and park space be set aside by urban
areas for every 100 of the present and estimated future population has been more widely
accepted than any other space standard.
• However, this standard does not relate to the demographic or
physiographic character of particular locales and is becoming obsolete.
Professional and governmental authorities, including the National
Recreation and Park Association and the National Park Service, have
pointed out the desirability of providing an even higher ratio of land to
population in :owns and small cities.
• Modification of this general standard has been suggested for all planning
entities based upon local requirements for populated cities. Some
municipal planning officials believe the development of large outlying
properties owned by the municipality will help meet the recognized
deficiency in the inner municipality. However, this proposal should be
considered as a practicable substitute indicative not just of necessity but
also of feasibility.
• Actual studies of recreational behavior patterns verify that people tend
to form neighborhood recreational groups with others of similar social
backgrounds. The resulting patterns might follow or be divided by
arteries, depending on whether transportation is provided.
• A planning process of interaction and participation by the public should
determine the number of facilities from one end of town to the other.
• Recreational acreage should be based on usage. Guidelines for acreage
allocations for different park types are only illustrative. Every activity
has a public demand. The demand for some activities is often met by the
private or voluntary sector. Ski lodges, tennis centers, and other
corporations all conduct market studies to ascertain the leisure needs of
and probable use by their clientele.
• NOTES:
• All measurements for court markings are to the
outside of lines except for those involving the
center service line, which is equally divided
between right and left service court.
• All court markings to be 2" wide.
• Fencing required 12'0" high with 16-gauge
hexagonal, galvanized 1" flat wire mesh fabric.
• For net post details see manufacturers'
literature.
• Net height to be 3'1** at posts and 2'10" at
center court.
• Public agencies must conduct
comparable studies to analyze demand, If
the municipality can ascertain the
probable use, turnover, capacity, and
low/peak load for each activity, it can
compute the number of activity stations
and facilities for each activity group. This
analysis is comparable to processes used
to determine the indoor and outdoor
space requirements for a school. The
recreational acreage is then computed for
actual facilities, for circulating paths and
roads, for landscaping, and for other
features. (Figure 7.5)
Figure 7.5 Platform tennis layout
 Figure 7-6
Layout of a Bocce court
 PARK AND RECREATION AREAS
• The types of outdoor recreation areas described here represent a variety of service
units which may be used in programs of athletics, sports, physical education and
recreation. Local conditions will dictate to a large extent which types are to be used
in any given locality. Hence, different combinations of areas and facilities will emerge
as the solution to the problem of meeting the needs and interests of a particular
locality. ((Figures 7-6; 6A)
 Figure 7-6A
Horseshoe pitching layout.
• There is some controversy over parkland aesthetics as measured by the
terms active and passive recreation. Many individuals with inherent interest in
recreational or leisure pursuits associated with nature denounce the intrusion
into parklands by tennis buffs or ball players. Obviously, these two groups
have different attitudes about the character of parklands. Parklands can be
designed for active or passive use, or both, without destroying the aesthetic
values. The use of parklands should reflect the greatest good for the greatest
number and the protection of the health, well-being, and safety of all.
• if a community is split over use of parklands, a cost-benefit analysis should
be made to ascertain the feasibility and costs of trade-offs. There is no sense
in preserving a swamp that was created artificially and lacks any value, but a
natural swamp might be found elsewhere and preserved to meet specific
needs and interests. There are alternatives in every planning process, and
they should be considered. The aesthetic values of a parkland, whether
oriented toward play apparatus or floral displays, do not have to be sacrificed
because they are termed passive or active.
• Abandoned industrial sites, such as strip mines, waste disposal
areas, and sand and gravel pits, offer tremendous possibilities for
park and recreation development. In many cases, recreational use is
not only the most beneficial, but the most economic use of such
sites. The recreational planner must not overlook the possibility of
obtaining these sites for public use. If possible, cooperative
planning should be started while the site is still being used by
industry so landscape features can be developed to make it more
appealing for recreational use.
 PLAYLOT/MINI-PARKS
LOCATION, SIZE, AND FEATURES
• A playlot/mini-park is a small recreational area designed for the safe
play of pre-school children.
• As an independent unit, the playlot/mini-park is most frequently
developed in large housing projects or in other densely populated
urban areas with high concentration of pre-school children.
• More often, it is incorporated as a feature of a larger recreation area. If
a community is able to operate a neighborhood playground within a
one-quarter mile zone of every home, playlots should be located at the
playground sites. A location near a playground entrance, close to
restrooms and away from active game areas, is best.
• The playlot/mini-park should be enclosed with a low fence or solid
planting to assist mothers or guardians in safeguarding their children.
Thought should be given to placement of benches, with and without
shade, for ease of supervision and comfort for parents and guardians.
A drinking fountain with step for tots will serve both children and
adults.
• Play equipment geared to the pre-school child should combine
attractive traditional play apparatus with creative, imaginative
equipment. Such proven favorites as chair, bucket, and glider swings;
six-foot slide; and a small merry-go-round can be used safety. Hours of
imaginative play will be enjoyed with such features as a simulated
train, boat, or airplane; a playhouse; and fiberglass or concrete
animals. A small climbing structure and facilities for sand play should
be included.
 PLAY STRUCTURES AND AREAS
• The design of playground equipment and play areas can significantly. affect
children's psychomotor, affective and cognitive development. In order to
meet psychomotor needs, equipment should stimulate locomotor, non-
locomotor, and manipulative actions which stimulate the development of
large muscles.
• Equipment should elicit repetitive responses as well as increasingly new
complex responses. Some equipment should be permanent and stable in
order to stimulate the child to move, but children should be able to move
some pieces from place to place. The equipment should be child-sized, some
designed specifically for younger children and some for older children.
Modularized wooden structures are ideal for providing variable
environments and arrangements and are readily modifiable by professional
personnel. Many play equipment manufacturers carry a full line of modular
equipment, both wood and metal.
• Younger children need opportunities to create, build, and manipulate
the environment. Older children need play settings which stimulate
multiple responses more than one way to move from one piece of
equipment to another.
• Cognitive needs of children may be met by providing equipment
which is multi-purpose in design. Equipment should whet children's
curiosity, stimulate exploration, and elicit a variety of responses.
Children use a variety of bases of support as well as different kinds of,
level, direction, and range of movement on different pieces of
equipment. No one piece provides adequate variety for an children, so
a variety of equipment is necessary.
• Affective needs may be met by varying the shapes of pieces such as squares,
circles, and rectangles. Varying spaces increases a variety of responses--some
should be narrow, wide, large, small, high, and low. Some pieces should be
thick (planks) while others should be thin (bars). Sculptured animals and
natural objects such as tree trunks are widely used. Textures should vary from
loose, soft, and smooth such as sand, bark, and wood chips to hard, shiny, dull,
and rough such as metal, wood, plastic, fiberglass, and concrete.
• Colors impregnated in plastic and cement prevent frequent painting. The color
of the equipment should be in contrast to the ground covering in order for a
child to see the support on which to place a foot. In contrast to adults, color
does not affect children's choices of equipment significantly.
• Some equipment should encourage socialization. Others should provide for
quiet contemplation. Some play apparatus should sustain the interest of
individuals. Other pieces should appear unpredictable in the nature of/
responses available.
• Equipment chosen for outdoor areas should be consistent with materials used indoors
to IIlustrate a coordinated curricular philosophy of recreation interests. equipment
should be usable in physical education classes as well as at recess. (Figure 7-7)

Figure 7-7
A Typical Elementary School Playground
• Play equipment must be durable, safe, and sanitary. Some pieces should be
resilient. All pieces requiring footings should be cover by dirt or a softer
ground r. Footings should be enough to maintain stability. Metal pieces may
need to keep them cool. Paint equipment prevents rust and es the piece
cleanable Moving parts should be oiled lady. Nuts and bolts should tightened
frequently. Equipment requiring low maint ante is advisable.
• The surface treatment under apparatus equipment is very important. Various
types of materials that have been used are sand, wood chips, tanbark, asphalt,
and a variety of synthetic surfaces. The use of asphalt covered with a synthetic
material has been gaining in popularity because of the safety and aesthetic
aspects even though the initial cost is higher. A level surface is always
maintained with this treatment, which is safer for the children at play. Water
puddles do not appear under swings, and less maintenance is required for this
surface.
• Enclosing the area may be appropriat6 to prevent nuisance legal problems. If
equipment cannot be played on safely without adult supervision, a fence with a
look is a necessity.
• Although home-made equipment may be durable and cost less initially, legal
concerns may warrant the purchase of commercial equipment. Comparative
shopping may reduce the cost of commercially made pieces by as much as 50
percent.
• The whole play area should be ned with the aid of educational consultants
and/or commercial planners. Pisces of equipment should not only be placed by age
groups, but, more importantly, they should also stimulate movement from one piece
to another. Moving parts require spaces for a range of movements. Equipment needs
to be placed for ease of supervision and safe traffic patterns.
• Modularized wooded structures and free-standing equipment should be changed
frequently to provide children with new opportunities to explore the environment.
Play areas throughout the community should reflect variety.
• Funds should be allocated to change locations of pieces of apparatus on each
playground and between playgrounds.
 SMALL GAMES COURTS
• The playlot/mini-park may also include courts and
areas for such activities as hopscotch, marbles, and
circle games. The entire small-games area can be used
as multi-purpose space. These areas are located
primarily in neighborhood and community park-
schools and may be used for both class instruction and
recreation programs.
• The small-games area should be a minimum of 25 by 25
feet, adjacent to the crafts-and-apparatus area. It should
be well-drained and surrounded by a fence or
shrubbery barrier for maximum safety and control. The
surface should be of sandy loam, asphalt, or concrete.
• Hopscotch is popular with children. A special court may
be marked off in one section of the small-games area.
(Figure 7-8)
Figure 7-8 Hopscotch Court layout
 KINDS OF PLAY AREAS
• One-Time User. Usually a commercial play area designed to sustain interest for a snort
time span.
• Returning Client Play Area. Usually a school or public recreation area. Should be
designed to stimulate multiple responses and some elements of unpredictability
• Adult. Currently commercial and educational planners are experimenting with equipment
designed for adults. The designs are adult in size and in challenge.
• Adventure. Play areas originally conceived in Europe. Children are involved in the
planning, creating, and building of an area. A play leader will facilitate play and
construction. Some parts are fixed while others are movable. Parts can be changed
frequently (daily) or periodically (at the end of a season)
• Creative. Play areas which stimulate children to elicit a variety of responses rather than a
single response. Loose materials as well as fixed objects are part of the setting.
• Junk. Constructed, usually by adults, from discarded materials. A variety of materials
enhances the choices available and stimulates multiple sensory responses. Examples
include tires, telephone cablespools, railroad ties, sand, wood, turf, rope.
• Thematic. Usually built around a central idea. Some examples are pioneer, Treasure
Island, Indian, seafaring, and circus traffic or transportation which may feature a
combination of planes, cars, or boats. Variety is important in the settings as is the
appropriateness with the local environment and safety of the objects. Glass and locks
should be removed.
• Traditional Play Areas. Generally feature metal equipment including swings, slides,
see-saws, merry-go-rounds. They are single purpose in design and tend to move children
rather than stimulate children to move.
• Vestpocket Playgrounds. Originally created by Paul Friedberg in New York for high
school students, they are within one lot between buildings, designed on an adult scale to
be compact and indestructible.
 PLAYGROUNDS AND PLAY AREAS
• The neighborhood playground is the primary area in planning for recreation. It is
established primarily to serve children under 14 but should have additional features
to interest teen-agers and adults.
• The trend in recent years is for the neighborhood playground to become the center
of activity for a wide variety of needs and interests expressed by all residents. The
more diversified pursuits of today's recreation consumer challenge the facility
planner to provide for a broader program, with more attention devoted to multiple
use by different age groups.
• The neighborhood playground serves the recreational needs and interests of the
same population served by neighborhood elementary school. Its major service zone
will seldom exceed one-half mile, with most of the attendance originating within a
quarter-mile distance. It should be centrally located in the area to be served and
away from heavily traveled streets and other barriers to easy and safe access.
• The neighborhood
playground normally
requires a minimum of five
acres. The particular
facilities required will
depend on the nature of the
neighborhood, with space
being allocated according
to priorities, as follows:
• Depending upon the relationship of the property to schools and to other recreational
facilities in the neighborhood, Such optional features as a recreation building, tennis
courts, or swimming pool might be located at the neighborhood playground. If
climatic conditions warrant, a spray Or wading pool may be provided. The following
space for optional features should be added to the standards listed above:
 THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARK
• The neighborhood park is land set aside primarily for both active and passive
recreation. Ideally, it gives the impression of being rural, sylvan, or national in its
character. It emphasizes horticultural features, with spacious turf areas bordered
by trees, shrubs, and sometimes floral arrangements. It is essential in densely
populated areas but not required where there is ample yard space at individual
home sites.
• A neighborhood park should be provided for each neighborhood. In many
neighborhoods, it will be incorporated in the park-school site or neighborhood
playground. A separate location is required if this combination is not feasible.
• A separately located neighborhood park normally requires three to five acres. As
a measure of expediency, however, an isolated area as small as one or two acres
may be used. Sometimes the functions of a neighborhood park can be
satisfactorily included in a community or city-wide park.
• The neighborhood park plays an important role in setting standards for
community aesthetics. Therefore, it should include open lawn areas, plantings, and
walks. Sculpture forms, pools, and fountains should also be considered for
ornamentation. Creative planning will employ contouring, contrasting surfaces,
masonry, and other modern techniques to provide both eye appeal and utility.
THANK YOU!