A new playground has officially opened at FDR Park, and the look and feel of the playground has people reacting toward it on opposite sides of the spectrum, writes Anna Lockhart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The finished product is the result of a partnership between Philadelphia nonprofit Studio Ludo and design group WRT, and is part of the multiphase FDR Park Plan overseen by the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
The unconventional playground features log scrambles, a mega oval-shaped swing set that allows swingers to face each other — the first of its kind in North America — seven slides ranging from four feet to 30 feet tall, three of which are enclosed in metal structures means to look like Victorian bird cages webbed with rope to climb to the top.
While some parents at first glance may find the look “dangerous”, “scary” or “terrifying,” Studio Ludo founder and executive director Meghan Talarowski notes that its unorthodox nature is by design.
It’s what she calls graduated risk-taking.
Allison Schapker, chief operations and projects officer for the Fairmount Park Conservancy, said this playground serves as a blueprint for potential future projects.
“We wanted to push and test what a playground would look like in Philadelphia,” she said.
Read more about FDR Park’s unorthodox Anna C. Verna Playground at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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