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Germany plans playgrounds for adults December 5, 2006

Posted by Al in : design,interesting,people , trackback

I like this story for several reasons: firstly when I was in Hong Kong I saw a number of parks that had strange exercise equipment, and they were always being used by the elderly. There were pulleys for exercising your arms, wheels for the arms again, small stapes for your legs and a path of cobbles/pebbles that was good for massaging your feet if you took your shoes off. Every time we walked past one of these parks they, and their equipment, were in use. If you’re ever in Hong Kong then you can see such a park by going here – unfortunately Google doesn’t yet have the resolution required to see the equipment.

Secondly this is being suggested for Nuremberg, which is where I once lived when in Germany. Nuremberg is a fantastic city, and one I recommend you visit. It has beautiful buildings sitting alongside the stadium where Hitler held his great rallies. It has wonderful countryside surrounding a cosmopolitan city. And the city is no stranger to providing entertainment for it’s visitors and locals – in the centre of the city you will find bronze statues which are completely posable, leading to much merriment at times.

And finally I like the idea of parks for adults. As I am fast growing ever older I have begun to realise that you don’t necessarily have to feel older. And I would welcome a park where I could go to do some gentle exercise and just enjoy myself, without feeling that I was intruding into the world of those younger than me. However I really can’t see these working in Britain. Much though I love living in the UK we have a terrible problem with people having no respect for other’s property, especially if that property is municipal. If we set up one of these parks in the UK then it would be vandalised and covered with graffiti within days, whereas Germany could probably get away with it and in Hong Kong I didn’t see one piece of damage or defacement at all. Still, it’s nice to hope.

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