What do you get when you combine a traditional playground with the concept of universal design? A park that just about any child would be thrilled and able to play in, and possibly one of the most popular parks in Logan, Utah.
The playground, housed in Logan’s Willow West Park, is called Angels’ Landing, and it’s being designed specifically for accessibility by landscape architects from Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities. The goal: to let children of all abilities play in a place that is able to safely accommodate them.
“The simplest way to explain it is: We don’t worry as much about the wheelchair or the device the child is using. We spend more time thinking about the child and what they are able, and would like, to do. It’s activity focused, instead of equipment focused,” said Keith Christensen, one of the architects working on the project, in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune.
Rather than a traditional playground that focuses on climbing, the architects are creating a place that they say will highlight “exploratory and creative play.” Gone are the jungle gyms and swing sets; in their place are playhouses, musical instruments, buckets, shovels, and other interactive objects