All the ideas for the Cowley Teenage space emerged during a consultation project conducted with the young people who lived on the Cowley housing estate, in which objects such as large ramps, platforms, steps, wooden crates, and a temporary shelter were used by the teens to create their own spaces.
What developed was a five-a-side football and basketball pitch, a ramped mound for bicyclies, and "a covered inactivity zone for spectators and a loose arrangement of large concrete blocks with both 'inside' and 'outside' spaces for occupying, playing on and flirting around. " New entrance ways and signage denote it as a special place, and automatic lighting enhances safety at night.
According to Snug and Outdoor, the new space has improved relationships within the community and complaints against local teens have been reduced.
What a wonderful idea! This was a great find. Thank you.
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