Creating Children’s Play Spaces | Athar Lina 3

Spaces open to public without entrance fees are hard to find in Cairo, let alone green spaces. The majority of public space has been privatized. True public spaces specially serving the needs of children are simply non-existent in Cairo. The privileged Cairenes go to their clubs,but where can the vast majority of children play? How can we as architects and urban planners, create space for children in Cairo? In this workshop we will focus on Khalifa street in Islamic Cairo- as a part of the Athar Lina project-We will design pop-up playground by which the Khalifa children can reclaim public space to play using recycled materials! The designs will be then implemented as part of the rehabilitaion of the Clinics next to Shajar al- Durr Mausoleum.

13 January Public lecture
Lecture by Nevien Akl about Cairo’s public space in general

Lecture by Renet Korthals Altes on design for children, the theory of play and design to play

Lecture by Ahmed Borham about his project “movable barriers”

Open discussion about subject raised in lectures

Discuss “observation task”: all participants are asked to look, watch, research Cairo’s children in public space; what do they do, how do they occupy/ move/play/gather/hide in the streets

17-18 January research, meet the neighborhood+ Design
Investigate the locations: location’s qualities and challenges? What are they used for? Who uses them? Where could we store the elements? Which spaces can be opened up?

If there are children around, ask them about play: what do they do outside? Where do they hang around? What do children play with collect and structure the gathered input, first ideas about possible interventions, design solutions, wild brainstorm in groups of three.

January 31-1 February
Building the pop-up elements,
All the participants will build the interventions, together with the teenagers and the professionals (carpenters etc) from the neighborhood