In the early hours of April 16, 2016, a devastating earthquake shook Ecuador’s coast, leaving destruction and loss in its wake. One of the hardest-hit cities was Portoviejo, where the earthquake severely damaged infrastructure, displaced communities, and profoundly impacted residents’ sense of belonging to public spaces.
Following the tragedy, a reconstruction process began—not only to restore buildings and streets but also to reimagine and revitalize various public spaces in the city to provide better services to its residents. Within this context, coordinated efforts led to the development of inclusive play areas in existing parks throughout the city.
The Impact of Inclusive Play Areas on Social Development and Health
The primary goal of these recreational spaces is to promote social inclusion, physical activity, and interaction among children who use them. They aim to improve users’ mobility, muscular strength, and coordination, helping prevent sedentary lifestyles and chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, depression, and anxiety.
These interventions also seek to foster mental health and cognitive stimulation through outdoor activities, reducing stress, enhancing mood, and combating social isolation. The recreational spaces encourage healthy interaction and integration between individuals with and without disabilities, supporting both their physical and psychological development.
At the same time, these spaces serve as gathering points for the community, fostering social cohesion and a sense of belonging. The project goes beyond building playgrounds; it creates opportunities for inclusion, transforming these areas into symbols of hope and resilience after adversity.
Designing Inclusive Play Modules and the Value of Play
The designs were based on the concept of “the value of play,” an approach aimed at maximizing developmental and learning opportunities through play. This means the modules allow users to interact in diverse and creative ways, encouraging exploration, autonomy, and personal expression during playtime.
Three primary categories of play value were considered: physical, sensory, and social. In the physical category, the games are designed to promote movement, enhance mobility, strengthen muscles, and improve motor coordination. For sensory value, elements that stimulate the senses were integrated, allowing users to explore different textures, colors, and sounds, enriching their perception of the environment and encouraging curiosity. Socially, the spaces foster interaction and collaboration, encouraging skills like empathy, communication, and teamwork.
To ensure inclusivity, accessible modules were created to enable active participation by users with various types of disabilities. This includes ramps and leveled surfaces for those with reduced mobility, as well as games featuring contrasting colors and visual and auditory signals for children with visual or hearing impairments.
The modules were also designed with specific age groups in mind to ensure activities are tailored to the abilities and needs of each developmental stage. This ensures that the games are both safe and challenging enough to maintain interest and motivation.
This Social Inclusion Support Project for People with Disabilities in Ecuador, led by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MIDUVI, in Spanish) with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, represents a significant step toward building more inclusive, healthy, and resilient cities. Inclusive parks and play areas not only encourage physical and social development but also reaffirm a sense of community and belonging. These spaces promote interactions that transcend physical and social barriers, creating a city where all residents—without distinction—can share, learn, and grow together. This vision of inclusive and healthy urban development exemplifies how adversity can be transformed into an opportunity to improve quality of life and strengthen community bonds.
Do you know of other inclusive playground initiatives in the region? Share them in the comments!
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