Not all parks are playgrounds. Or are they? (Denmark Day 4)
Providing public space for the public to enjoy seems to be a core value in Copenhagen, evidenced by the wide variety and locations of parks and playgounds. Officially in Copenhagen, a playground is a specific type of park. Some of the playgrounds are staffed. We visited such a playground on Day 4, a special playground--the Trafiklegepladsen (The Traffic Playground). As a playground, it turns 50 this year, having seen a transformation from a go-kart style car traffic learning ground to a cycling learning ground for kids. Our group learned about the history and present of the park from Richard, the mechanic and manager who's been on site for 36 years. Playgrounds, both staffed and unstaffed, provide the tools for parents to teach their children. The approach that they take to teaching biking starts with push bikes. (Although the littlest tykes have the littlest bikes, they've got taller push bikes for all ages to learn.) Once they've figured out the pu...