Preservation and repurposing

When selecting a nature play site, preference should be given to locations already rich in natural characteristics, including waterways, floodplains, and drainageways. These offer a greater depth of user experience and unique play opportunities for children.  

Whenever possible, existing mature vegetation should inspire the playground’s final design. Trees, for example, can be used for shade. Meanwhile, existing landforms, including hills and slopes, can be used to form the following play features:

• Embankment slides
  
• Caves
  
• Climbing areas
  

Efforts to preserve and repurpose vegetation and landforms also provide cost-saving opportunities. They decrease the need for earthwork, and for importing materials. In instances, however, when it is not feasible to preserve vegetation, efforts to repurpose the removed material can form the following:

• Playground seating
  
• Climbing features
  
• Free-play components
  

Designing a nature play space can also serve as a catalyst to remove unwanted vegetation, such as noxious weeds, and to develop a weed management strategy that preserves and restores native plants.

Accessibility

As with any public park, nature play spaces must be accessible for the intended users. The preferred location should be accessible by roadways, walking, cycling routes, and public transportation, if feasible.

Wherever possible, regional trail networks should be used to promote connectivity to the greater park and open space system. If this is not possible, every effort should be made to provide a secondary trail connection to the larger regional trail. Proximity to regional trails will boost user visitation, connect to a wider user base, and promote a more comprehensive health and recreation philosophy.

The size and intent of a nature play park determines the required amount of transportation connectivity: ‍

Neighborhood park:

• Local road with on-street parking or small parking area
  
• Adjacent to sidewalk or trail for walking and biking visitors
  

Community park:

• Local or collector road for vehicular access
  
• Ample parking available on-street and/or on-site parking area
  
• Adjacent to regional trail for walking and biking visitors
  

Regional park:

• Collector road or greater for vehicular access
  
• Public transportation nearby or on-site
  
• Ample parking available in on-site parking area

Existing park renovation

When a proposed nature play area is an addition, expansion, or renovation of an existing park, data pulled from pattern mapping and community input needs to be considered. This will help identify parts of the existing park that should remain, and the nature play features that will best suit the renovated park. Pattern mapping data can include the following:

• Who is using the existing space, for how long, and at what time?
  
  
• Is the existing park being used as intended?
  
  
• How are users getting to this location?
  
  
• If the main mode of transportation is private vehicles, is there adequate parking?
  
  
• What are the internal circulation routes, both prescribed and user-formed?
  
  
• What existing features should be preserved and why?
  
  
• What are the existing maintenance and management practices, and will they need to change to better suit nature play?