Wants a billion boost for playgrounds
The two urban developers are fed up with the lousy playground offer in Oslo. Well, they have approached all the parties and asked for a “playground billion”.
– This is an ideal place. All kinds of people meet, it’s homes and places to eat. And a great urban space. But the playground could be so much better.
Geir Rognlien Elgvin stands at Teaterplassen på Grønland in Oslo with his colleague Isabel Ruiz Lopez.
Both are parents of small children and work with urban development at Grape arkitekter. And they are unimpressed by Oslo’s playgrounds.
Together with their own children, they have put everything they have found into playgrounds. Both in the new and the established districts. The conclusion is that it is very bad for:
- There are few playgrounds.
- Those that do exist are often poorly maintained.
- Some are closed.
- Only one private real estate developer has built a really good playground (Harbitz torg), they believe.
- City center and Old Oslo by far have the most.
– The cherry grove on Tøyen, which opened this autumn, is by far Norway’s best playground, says Rognlien Elgvin.
– But in Oslo it exists one. In Copenhagen and Gothenburg they have 100 pictures. It is a gap in urban development.
According to the City Life Survey from 2014, Oslo had 32 public playgrounds. Copenhagen had 125.
– A lot has happened since then, and city councilor Hanna Marcussen is trying. But this largely applies to the center and Old Oslo, says Elgvin.
Important for social contact
As urban developers, they have no doubt that playgrounds contribute to cross-cultural contact, integration, social equalization and safe growing up environments.
– Everything that everyone agrees on is important, states Ruiz Lopez.
But they also discovered that playgrounds are hardly a theme for the parties. So far, only MDG, SV and KrF have mentioned the phenomenon in the draft party programmes.
Thus began the “activism”: This summer they held a seminar at the Storting. The City Development Committee at City Hall let them off the hook with a presentation to the politicians. And they have met all parties in the city government, apart from Rødt.
– All are in the final phase of program work. We included a target of 250 million a year in the budgets. So 1 billion in the next city council term, says Rognlien.
By comparison, just over 15 million has been set aside for playgrounds in this year’s Oslo budget. 11 of them have gone to the flagship on Tøyen. For operation, 14.7 million have been earmarked for the entire city.
A place to meet across
At Tinkern on Skillebekk, grandmother Bente Laugerud enjoys herself with Alfred (2) in the cool autumn sun. She has no doubt that the newly renovated square is one of the best in the area.
– It is always tidy and clean. The surface is soft and fine, and not least it is nice that there are climbing trees, lots of foliage and nature. It will also be exciting for slightly older children, she says.
As the only one in Oslo, the sandbox is adapted for wheelchair users.
Then she points out an important quality: Plenty of benches.
– Then grandma can sit down and talk to other adults for a bit, she laughs.
She will be joined by Isabel Ruiz Lopez, who is Spanish. What she misses from her home country’s playgrounds is that adults also get a place to be.
– It may be possible to have a coffee. To exercise. Let generations and all types of people meet across the board, she says.
She is also clear that the aesthetic quality in Oslo must improve. In addition, an overview of which playgrounds actually exist is missing.
Positive politicians
One of the politicians who already loves to get in on the act is Aps Mansoor Hussain. He does not have a child himself, but believes that a playground promotion should definitely be part of the party programme.
– We are working on upgrading squares and places. Then we should get a proper plan for playgrounds, he says.
He will not decide whether 250 million annually is a suitable sum. – We must start by getting a complete overview.
Høyre’s candidate for speaker, Anne Lindboe, also goes a long way in wanting full support.
– Prioritizing playgrounds is a great way to lift all the 15 boroughs, says the former children’s ombudsman, before she lists all quality playgrounds. And reminds that there are few playgrounds in several western districts.
– But you approved the program at the weekend without a word about this?
– The program is broadly formulated. But if we get into position, playgrounds will be prioritized. It’s a promise.