Written by:
Guest Author
In this piece, Marguerite Hunter Blair OBE, who recently stepped down as Chief Executive of Play Scotland, champions play and playful environments in our neighbourhoods, towns and cities and makes the case for their importance to our health and wellbeing across generations.
Building a Play Friendly Scotland for Every Generation to Enjoy
‘Investing in children’s play is one of the most important things we can do to improve children’s health and wellbeing…. Children playing outside contributes to the resilience of communities in Scotland.’
Professor Sir Harry Burns, former Chief Medical Officer, Scotland (Play Scotland, 2012)
The sound of children playing is at the heart of healthy and happy communities. All generations need high-quality places for play and recreation near where they live, spaces where they feel safe, with natural features and a variety of opportunities for physical and social activity. Such environments bring us closer to nature, and provide opportunities to make friends and support active, connected lives.
As a society we have a collective responsibility to provide more inclusive and sustainable built and natural environments that are better for all of us. The former mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, believed that providing for children’s needs was the way forward for the whole community, saying, “Children are a kind of indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for everyone.” (Wright, Hargrave, Williams, Dohna, & Gill, 2017) To live well locally, we all need safer, cleaner, and more inclusive environments, with greater access to green spaces, increased play and recreation opportunities, greater freedom for children’s independent mobility and more active travel. This is a significant challenge given that children’s play is both a social and spatial justice issue.
Planning for Play
“Unfortunately, most cities have not prioritised children in their planning and design. We should move beyond designing our cities for the 30-year-old athletic person and think about the needs of our most vulnerable users: children and older adults and the poor. We can and must provide safe, playful and stimulating everyday experiences for the child in the city.”
Gils Penalosa, founder and Chair of the Board 8-80 Cities (Wright, Hargrave, Williams, Dohna, & Gill, 2017)
With the agency of Play Scotland, there is now a world-leading policy and legal framework for play in Scotland including the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, the National Planning Framework 4, and the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. Play is increasingly recognized as integral to the universal policies and qualities of successful places. Design approaches aim to create spaces that foster a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can feel safe and be able to interact with each other and their surroundings in a playful manner, regardless of their age.
The Play Theory of Change in the ‘Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030’ also highlights ‘place’ as a primary driver which can create ‘free, accessible, inclusive and safe public play spaces, developed in consultation with children and families’ (Scottish Government, 2025).
Play Theory of Change from the Play Vision Statement and Action Plan (Scottish Government, 2025)
To support the implementation of these ambitions for play and place, Play Scotland has co-created several tools with children and young people to ensure they can have a meaningful voice in planning. Engaging with children is key to them enjoying more street play near where they live with adequate resources, time, permission, and space to play and thrive: The Place Standard Tools for Children and for Young People (Scottish Government, 2022) and the recently revised and published Getting it Right for Play Toolkit (Play Scotland, 2025).
(Play Scotland, 2025)
(Scottish Government, 2022)
The aim of the Getting it Right for Play Toolkit (Play Scotland, 2025) is to stimulate improvement in the design and provision of local places and spaces where children of all ages, disabled and non-disabled, feel safe and confident and are playing outside in their neighbourhoods. The indicators and tools have been developed in consultation with children and people from across the play and related sectors throughout Scotland. The Toolkit shares tried and tested ideas for local authorities and communities to support them working together to improve play opportunities and in doing so, improve local places and spaces for everyone.
What Success Looks Like – Playful streets supporting play in the community (Play Scotland, 2021)
After the COVID 19 pandemic, children said that they wanted more play and better play, but lacked the opportunities, freedom and confidence to play outdoors. In response Play Scotland published ‘Playful Streets: Supporting Play in the Community’ a Toolkit full of ideas and case studies to support multigenerational approaches to community play (Play Scotland, 2021).
Case studies included:
Maximising community resources
Dundee City Council opened 15 school grounds for public use in areas where communities had little existing access to play facilities or green space.
Pitkerro Pirate Park, a new dual-use school and community play and growing space in Pitkerro Park was opened to the public. This was the first purpose-built facility of its kind in Dundee and founded through strong community engagement and partnerships.
Making communities safer to play
Living Streets ‘Lower Speed Communities Project and Toolkit’ supported ‘20’s Plenty’ campaigns to create safer streets for children, communities and local authorities.
Sharing community resources
The Shetland Family Centre Community Play Resources Van brought shared play resources across the island, offering opportunities for more young families to meet and play together.
Dundee Play Boxes, large storage containers filled with loose parts resources, were situated in school playgrounds to support community play.
Removing barriers to play
Aberdeen City Council removed “No Ball Games” signs, becoming the first Scottish city where ball games could be freely played across parks and community spaces by all generations.
It takes a whole village to raise a child
A powerful example of a multigenerational space where the sound of play resonates is the Dear Wild Place, a meadow in the east end of Glasgow. Known locally as the Children’s Wood, it is nearly four acres of open, green and wild space in the heart of an urban community. More than 26 schools regularly use the Wood, and locals tend to raised beds and an orchard, and children play, hang out of trees and build dens. All generations cycle and walk their dogs, and the community organise jam making and home baking, and take part in storytelling, bonfires, forest schools, teacher training, school visits and youth activities.
In an area where male life expectancy stubbornly remains 20 years below the national average, the Wood was successfully saved from development through a determined community campaign. Emily Cutts led the campaign and wrote about it, and articulates the power of local multigenerational places
“I was convinced that only an empowered community, in love with the land, could have a real effect… care and connection have been at the heart of our grassroots community project….I always knew that this wild place was different and much more valuable to the community.” (Cutts, 2019)
Multigenerational places are not only about children’s play, they are about building healthier, stronger and more resilient communities for everyone. From safer streets and shared resources to wild spaces defended by local voices, Scotland has the policy framework, the tools and the community spirit to make play central to place-making. The challenge now is to keep momentum, to ensure every generation can benefit, and to build on what we know works so that play becomes woven into the fabric of daily life.
About the Author
Marguerite Hunter Blair OBE has recently stepped down as Chief Executive of Play Scotland. Marguerite chairs the UK Children’s Play Policy Forum, the Carrick Centre in Maybole and the G20 Youth Project in Glasgow. She is vice-chair of Planning Aid Scotland and Secretary of IPA Scotland. Marguerite is a former CEO of Playboard Northern Ireland and before that Community Services Manager, Belfast City Council.
With thanks to Fiona Kirkland, Play Scotland.
References
- Cutts, E. (2019). The Dear Wild Place: Green spaces, community and campaigning: 16 . Postcards from Scotland CCWB Press).
- Play Scotland. (2012). Getting it Right for Play: The Power of Play. Edinburgh: Play Scotland.
- Play Scotland. (2021). Playful Streets: Supporting Play in the Community.Edinburgh: Play Scotland.
- Play Scotland. (2025, July). Getting it right for play: A Toolkit to Assess and Improve Play Opportunities (2025 Revised Version). Retrieved from Play Scotland: https://www.playscotland.org/resources/getting-it-right-for-play-2025-revised-version/
- Scottish Government. (2022). The Place Standard Tool: A Version for Children and Young People.Edinburgh: Scottish Government.
- Scottish Government. (2025). Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025 to 2030. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Retrieved from Scottish Government: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-play-vision-statement-action-plan-2025-2030/
- Wright, H., Hargrave, J., Williams, S., Dohna, F., & Gill, T. (2017). Cities Alive: Designing for Urban Childhoods. United Kingdom: ARUP.