City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Committee: Parks & Recreation

Cost: $200,000

Location: 4 renovations citywide

Short Description: Add 4 inclusive elements to playgrounds as they are renovated, allowing people of all ages and abilities to interact with and enjoy parks and recreation areas and to encourage expanded funding of these elements in the future.

Long Description: Universal Design playground equipment is designed to be usable by everyone without special adaptations. Many cities and towns have Universal Design playgrounds that are both frequented and loved by children and adults across the spectrum of abilities and ages – there are more than 30 such playgrounds in Massachusetts alone. Let’s make Cambridge playgrounds more inclusive through Participatory Budgeting!

Cambridge playgrounds offer diverse opportunities for outdoor play, but more could be done to create spaces where people of all physical abilities and ages can play together. Wouldn’t it be great to have thoughtfully-designed playgrounds with features that can be used by everyone in multiple, creative, and safe ways?

So many members of our community can benefit from inclusive playground features: parents and grandparents can play alongside their children on equipment designed for a wide range of ages and body sizes; siblings and classmates with different physical abilities can easily play together on the same structures; and those with injuries or other physical limitations are not relegated to the sidelines.

This proposal would provide funds for the City to add inclusive features to one or more existing playgrounds, supplementing normal playground renovation budgets. Placement of thoughtfully selected Universal Design elements in existing projects will generate interest in these features and support expanded funding in the future.

The exact location(s) will be determined by a community process.

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