"Inclusive, Healthy Places" by NPRA & Gehl

As more local councils, communities, and schools are recognising, spaces should ideally be inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities, cultures, and interests. But in attempting to do so, how do we measure the unique needs of the community being designed for? The US National Parks and Recreation Association partnered with international stalwarts Gehl to develop a framework hoping to solve this issue.

The Inclusive, Healthy Places Framework is a one-stop doc of indices for professionals to gather and integrate into planning, development and programming of public spaces. Ultimately, it is a tool that can equip professionals with a common language and understanding of what is needed to measure and elevate community priorities.

The four principles
(you get the gist, let’s get straight into it!):

1.     Community context
Build a baseline understanding of the existing community conditions such as demographics, lived experiences, predictors of exclusion, and current assets.

2.    Inclusion process
Measure levels of participation, depth of social networks, knowledge of public process, and trust of institutions and neighbours, and how they might support or hinder inclusion processes.

3.    Design and program
Design and program for health equity by improving quality of public spaces, enhancing access, accessibility (two distinct measurables), safety, and diversity.

4.    Sustaining inclusion
Foster the capacity of local communities to engage with changes in place over time by promoting agency, representation and stability.

Check out the full document here for specifics on how each of these principles can be measured. They don't all need to be addressed at once, choose which ones are most applicable and achievable for your project!

Rundlauf: the greatest group ping pong game

"Rundlauf" translates to "round-the-table" and is game played (usually with a beer in hand*) by locals and tourists alike, at the many public tables throughout Berlin. It is also an integral part of any Berliner’s childhood.

Simple, fast and very fun, it's a variation of a usual game of table tennis and can include anywhere up to 15 players (or as many as possible if you want to get chaotic). Here's how it goes:

An equal number of players line up on each side of the table

The ball is served

As soon as the player next in line takes the shot they run clockwise to the other side of the table and the next player in line returns the shot - and so on and so forth

If there are only a few bats - leave it on the table after your shot and the next player will pick it up (if they’re quick enough!)

If a point is missed, hit long, into the net - that player is eliminated and sits out until the end

Elimination continues until there are only two players left - they will then play a one point game - the winner taking all the glory!

That's it. The best things are that simple, trust us. 🏓