Cologne abolishes playground”: What’s behind the expensive sign replacement?

Cologne abolishes playground”: What’s behind the expensive sign replacement?

In Cologne it will soon be colorful on the playgrounds – or rather on the new “play and activity areas”. The city has decided to replace around 2,000 signs that bear the well-known term “playground.” This step is not without controversy and is causing heated discussions in the Rhine metropolis. Behind this project is a comprehensive redesign that is not only financially but also socially ambitious. Loud South German newspaper The development of the new, inclusively designed boards cost tens of thousands of euros in the last few months.

With the new name “play and activity area”, the city administration not only wants to modernize the term but also make it inclusive. The children and young people of Cologne's urban area should be included in the process, which is entirely in line with current social demands. With regard to the numerous different users, diversity in terms of age, cultural background and possible disabilities is taken into account. The signs will be replaced gradually as many of the existing signs are damaged and in need of renovation. This decision was recently presented to the city's youth welfare committee n-tv reported.

Inclusion and colorful diversity

But what exactly can we expect from the new signs? These are decorated with numerous colorful figures that show activities such as skateboarding, playing ball or digging in the sand. This form of presentation should not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the age, cultural background or possible disabilities of the user. It is important that children's noise remains permitted in the new areas. After all, it is an informative sign that is intended to promote the safe stay of children and young people in public spaces.

The city of Cologne has more than 700 playgrounds, and that is good business for the community. With this new concept, the city wants to increase encounters between all age groups and at the same time promote the idea of ​​inclusion. The youth administration worked on this project for a year and also took into account the opinions and wishes of future users. Around 38,000 euros were budgeted for the participation process in the 2023 budget. A clear message: There is something here!

Sign replacement and the question of costs

However, the specific costs for replacing the signs cannot yet be precisely quantified because they depend on individual prices and the order quantity. Older signs that are still functional will remain in place for the time being. Only the outdated or damaged signs will be gradually replaced starting in the fall, which will keep the city busy for a longer period of time. This creative approach to redesigning playgrounds is not only viewed with skepticism by many Cologne residents, but is also criticized as not making much sense - one remembers fictional places like Schilda, which are known for their nonsense. Nevertheless, the city is consistently continuing its plan and thus shows that the human instinct to play – in the words of Friedrich Schiller – combines the pursuit of happiness and moral perfection, according to the Mirror.

It remains to be seen whether the new “play and activity areas” will be popular with Cologne families. What is certain, however, is that the city of Cologne will be open to new ideas in the future in order to offer all citizens, young and old, space to develop. There could even be one or two trends that will make you smile in a few years.