Public parks are important for play. Through play, children develop skills associated with socialisation, coordination, imagination, and cognition.
Local government invests heavily in playgrounds in parks, with their replacement worth being around $1 billion, and an annual maintenance cost of over $38 million. The life time return on such an investment has many financial and non-financial dimensions and manifests in virtually every vocational, social, sporting and recreational pursuit.
This report intends to promote effective playground planning and management. It seeks to identify key trends and better practices, as well as spark discussions in pursuit of industry excellence. Over 110 Local Government Authorities (LGAs) contributed to its content.
The report includes:
1. Local Government Priorities
2. Park Users and Playgrounds
3. Benchmarked Playground Planning & Management Indicators.
4. Hints & Tips in Playground Planning and Management.
5. Case Studies & Publications.