Tag: ppproadmap

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What Are Parkour Parks?

This article is a part of the Public Parkour Park Roadmap Series by Caitlin Pontrella

This is a deceptively simple question. While there are maybe a dozen purpose-built parkour parks in North America as of 2020, informal parkour environments have existed all over the world in every single city in an unlimited number of forms for decades.

The reality is that the practice of parkour does not require a dedicated facility or location. Practitioners have been finding creative ways to transform the places they live into the places they play for over 30 years, discovering their own parkour parks and equipment in the wild–disguised as buildings, public squares, old playgrounds, large fountains, stairwells, construction scaffolding, and landscaping. (Wondering why should you bother with building a park if it can be practiced anywhere?)

I want you to start with this perspective: that everyone who has ever been in a park or public space has enjoyed a parkour environment. This is a powerful frame because it can open up new perspectives on how to enroll the wider community in the design these dedicated parks.

Question: What do recent parkour parks look like?

Components
Most purpose-built parkour parks and gyms are composed of geometric forms and structures of different shape, size, and height. These components have different adjacent, density, distance. Components are designed in consideration of the various movement typologies–running, jumping, swinging, climbing, crawling, balancing, etc

Materiality
Materials are as variable as any other type of playground–wood, concrete, brick, stone, plastic, steel, and rubber–and are permanently fixed. Flooring is designed for reducing impact such as grass, loose rubber, poured rubber, sand, or wood chips. This leaves a lot of room for designers to get creative.

Location, Size, Budget
Parks spaces have been (1)components in larger master plans, (2) independent stand alone builds, and (3) temporary installations. Size can vary from micro interventions (such as a bench re-design) to large scale action parks for 50+ people. For this reason, budget on a project can range from $1000 – 100,000+

These PK Parks are well suited for the ‘left over’ spaces of cities — beneath bridges and overpasses, in-between buildings–with lighting, signage and open access.

Furthermore, these are year-round accessible, with parkour practice encouraging training in diverse environmental conditions.

Users
Users are inter-generational, with teens and adults the primary user groups. You can learn more about the types of users that could activate this space in this article.

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The Parkour Park Paradox: Why Spend Money On Something That Can Be Done Anywhere?

This article is a part of the Public Parkour Park Roadmap Series by Caitlin Pontrella

Question: Parkour can be practiced in existing environments with found infrastructure. The development of parkour parks and facilities, therefore, appears to be a paradox. Why spend precious community resources on something that doesn’t require parks and courses?

Answer: With enough creativity, Parkour can be practiced anywhere. However, there are several significant challenges limiting free practice and community building. There also are specific spatial qualities that consistently attract practitioners, offering higher quality opportunities for play, exploration, and physical challenge.

A purpose-built parkour environment has several benefits:

  • Quality Conditions for Instruction And Technical Practice
    Not all found structures are suitable for physical activity. Railings and benches can be damaged. Walls can be too rough or mossy. Anti-skateboarding wax makes surfaces slick.

    Purpose-built environments can set up ideal physical circumstances for community groups and practitioners to more safely teach and refine skills. Designed components can also endure impact and intensive physical use better.
  • Safety, Permission, and Normalization
    Play in non-play spaces is stigmatized. Most teenage and adult practitioners can cite experiences of public harassment and policing. Some cities even have local laws in place forbidding 13+ populations from using playgrounds

    Purpose-built environments are spaces of permission and safety where practitioners can gather, socialize, relax, and practice free from this type of harassment and fear. These spaces can also help normalize inter-generational play over time through exposure and if integrated with other public uses.
  • Experimental Design & Creativity
    By conceiving spaces with movement in mind, designers can create unusual and provoking places to inspire a new level of experimentation, problem-solving, and creativity.

Finally, that parkour can be practiced anywhere is also why we as community advocates must also pursue creating spaces that can serve broader interests than parkour alone. Parkour can be providing architects and planners with critical lessons about multi-functionality and mobility justice that can be integrated into all designs, not just designated park spaces.

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Public Parkour Park Roadmap Series

Late Updated; 7/29/2020

The Public Parkour Park Roadmap is a free guide and series of articles to support individuals and communities in their efforts to build inter-generational play-spaces and parkour parks in their neighborhoods.

Over the last 20 years parkour, movnat, and other forms of alternative play-based movement practices have dramatically risen in interest and participation, drawing in not only children, but teens, adults, and seniors. However, in that same time there hasn’t been a notable increase in public play spaces for these older populations.

Parkour Parks, natural playscapes, and alternative play spaces can add immense value to a community — especially when designed to ensure inter-generational all-ability participation. Providing free access to spaces and tools that support physical and mental well being supports the growth of a whole and healthy society.

This guide is here to serve as a jumping off point, providing insight into the various stages of grassroots park development–starting with advocacy within your town or city through design, build, and long term community-care.

Overview of the Roadmap

As articles are released, I will update the links here.

Stage 1: Community Building & Partnership

You establish and develop the local and regional community through public or private programming. You build strategic partnerships with government agencies, community organizations, and companies, connecting them to your vision and the value of this type of project.

Stage 2: Public Advocacy, Education, and Normalization

You raise public awareness of the value of parkour, play, and alternative athletics in your community through civic participation, public speaking, and participation in larger community-building activities.

  • Public Advocacy & Misconceptions
  • Meet the Opposition
  • Key Talking Points – Why Intergenerational Playspaces? Why Parkour Parks?
  • Reaching Your Larger Community
  • Connecting To Local Government
  • Safety and Liability
  • Planning A Campaign
  • Putting Together Your First Presentation
  • Against the word ‘Playground’.
  • Temporary vs Permanent Park Builds
  • Temporary Park Build Considerations

Stage 3: Space and Funding

You identify potential sites and site partners, draw up a proposed budget, and research funding sources.

Stage 4: Design & Construction

You hire an architecture, engineering, or design consulting firm to collaborate with your community leaders to create a vision. You work with your partners, site owners, and contractors to build.

  • Precedence – And why you need it
  • Essential Parkour Park Characteristics
  • Essential Playground Characteristics
  • Choosing Materials
  • Is it a Park or a Playground or a Public Space?
  • Why You Should Hire A Professional
  • Choosing a Design Professional
  • Considering Accessibility

Stage 5: Long Term Community Caretaking

You commit to and create ways to ensure the long term use and health of the park. A park that is well used and loved will continue to receive caretaking and maintenance.

  • Why Multi-Community Investment is Critical to Success
  • Connecting the Community to your Park
  • Activating the Park through Programming Partners
  • Sustaining Community Involvement
  • Leave No Trace Together
  • Organizing Community Events 101

Project Footnotes

Schedule
This project went live February 2020 and is on track for 1 article a month.

Geographic Bias
This guide is written from a North American perspective on risks, funding, and community behaviors. However many of these articles will be useful for understanding project processes regardless of location.

Attribution
This guide was inspired by the public skateboard park development guide, which I highly recommend since skateboarders and parkour practitioners face similar issues.

Living Project
This is a living project that will be modified, updated, and expanded when appropriate.

Use Professionals
This is an experiential guide, not a prescriptive set of rules. Always consult with legal and design professionals familiar with your local code, permitting, site, and funding requirements and restrictions. Every town, city, state, and country is different.

About Me

I am a non-profit director, partnership manager, and designer with 10 years experience leading strategic planning for community organizations, consulting on parkour design-built projects, managing major cross-sector partnerships, and facilitating professional development in the parkour community. I have traveled extensively and studied public spaces and playgrounds across the world, oversaw 50+ temporary playground art installations, and continue providing smaller communities with individualized support advocating for the creation and preservation of parkour environments.

I also hold a professional degree in Architecture from Syracuse University