Bari: ministerial announcement "give us space", council approves the agreements for the creation of two innovative playgrounds in Via Amendola and in the pine forest of San Francesco

Bari: ministerial announcement "give us space", council approves the agreements for the creation of two innovative playgrounds in Via Amendola and in the pine forest of San Francesco.

On the proposal of the Councilor for Public Works Giuseppe Galasso, the municipal council approved the agreements between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Municipality of Bari which regulate the implementation, management and control relationships of the interventions for the construction of two playgrounds innovative projects planned, one inside the San Francesco pine forest, for an amount of 400 thousand euros, the other, smaller, in via Amendola, next to Amendola park, in an urban green area, for the amount of 100 thousand euros.
The two interventions were financed following the Municipality's candidacy for the inter-ministerial experimental program "Give us space" (art. 10, paragraph 5-BIS of Legislative Decree no. 68 of 2022, converted, with amendments, into Law no. 108 of 5 August 2022) which finances the creation of innovative playgrounds in municipalities with a population exceeding 300 thousand inhabitants.

The project proposals, consistently with the guidelines of the tender, have been defined to promote the development of children's motor, emotional and cognitive skills in a facilitating and inclusive environment, paying particular attention to the quality of the materials used and their environmental impact. The two play areas will therefore be safe, completely accessible, inclusive and will allow children of different age groups to find fun, innovative elements of play and growth designed to make them play together, stimulating their social skills, creativity, ability to problem solving and more.

All the essential elements to stimulate the child's motor and sensory development were taken into consideration in the design: rotation games for the sense of balance; climbing nets for the sense of proprioception; different materials and surfaces for the tactile sense; contrasts between colors for the visual sense; games for multiple users at the same time to encourage socialization.

The choice of play equipment was based on the principle of "play for all", in which everyone must be able to participate according to their own abilities and experience opportunities for growth and fun with their classmates, through the play experience. The play structures identified for the two interventions in fact use highly innovative materials that reduce the carbon footprint of the project thanks to the use of elements made with materials coming from waste recovered from the ocean, textiles, food packaging waste, plastic bags, etc. .

“The offer of inclusive public spaces in the city is increasing, equipped with increasingly modern and innovative equipment – ​​comments Giuseppe Galasso -. Those that we will create inside the San Francesco pine forest thanks to this funding, for example, will be able to accommodate dozens of children at the same time but above all they will contribute to enhancing and relaunching this green area, one of the busiest in the city.
The project in via Amendola, however, is configured as an equipped nearby green area, with small play areas that will allow the children of the neighborhood to meet and play in the open air near their home. This small redevelopment, thanks also to the reorganization of the surrounding roads with a series of new one-way streets, will be very useful not only to residents, who have been requesting its implementation for some time, but also to all those who frequent the area for various reasons. We hope to complete both interventions by the end of the mandate, probably completing first that of the San Francesco pine forest and then that of Parco Amendola, closely related to the execution of another intervention included among those of urban greening financed by the Pnrr, already started in the days past. In the next few weeks, after the signing of the agreements covered by today's provision, we will also approve the two executive projects in order to have them on site quickly".

• Via Amendola

The Amendola park was chosen as an experimental space to include an innovative play area. The intervention is therefore part of an overall reorganization of the area which has seen a redesign of the roads and parking areas, the inclusion of a dog area and new rows of trees: in particular the play area it will be inserted in a tree-lined area with paths, still little used.
The play area, located in the center of the garden, will consist of a large tower element which represents an intriguing, innovative play magnet full of activities for children, characterized by different equipment, in order to satisfy the needs of children in different age and ability groups: a portion of the tower for dynamic activity, dedicated to children over 5 years old; a space for pre-school children, suitable for use from the first months of life, which includes a sensory journey and play elements on the floor; an area for relaxation and social games where children can develop knowledge and learning, with care and attention also for the needs of those who prefer to play away from the noise; elements that make the game accessible even to minors with physical disabilities.

Close to the new play area there will also be an educational vegetable garden, enclosed by a wooden fence and appropriately lit, with local plant species, from aromatic herbs to vegetables, to recreate a healthy environment, transmit the values ​​of the earth to the little ones and make seasonality known in a natural context, albeit easily accessible from the urbanized surroundings.
In defining the project, various local entities were involved, as well as in the area identification and design phases, also to hypothesize a management, control and maintenance support model: both the play-educational-recreational equipment and the The educational garden will be entrusted to non-profit and voluntary associations of parents and residents of the neighborhood, appropriately selected and evaluated following an expression of interest procedure.

• San Francesco pine forest

The design intervention of the Parancio, in the pine forest of San Francesco, is the result of a process participated by a series of associations and committees in the territory of Municipality III. The new playground will be built in the southern part of the San Francesco Pine Forest, the so-called "Small Pine Forest", already equipped with an area equipped for sports and games which is intended to be redeveloped and regenerated through the creation of a new play-recreational area for outdoor recreation and socialization.
In the design of the spaces and in the choice of equipment, particular attention was paid to the needs and requirements of children suffering from developmental disorders, who will be able to find themselves in a comfortable and fully inclusive play space.
The playground was "conceptually" divided into 3 spaces with different functions/possibilities of use, in order to satisfy the needs of all children and any changes in mood, without creating physical limits and interruptions, but through the methods of choice typology and layout of the equipment and with the flooring drawings:
• a space for dynamic activity, in which children in different ways, depending on their physical abilities, will be able to climb, turn, run, slide, spin, jump, face different stimuli and adventures. A slide tower over 6 meters high will be installed in which children will find an infinite number of activities, from bottom to top, inside and outside. Other equipment will be positioned around the tower that will allow different motor activities, including a huge rotating ring;
• a "sensory growth path", designed for children of any age and those with cognitive disorders, with play elements on the floor, both 2D and 3D, aromatic plants and different types of materials that stimulate the sensory sphere (touch, hearing, smell, etc.) and develop different knowledge thanks to sensorial recreational-recreational panels, with which children will be able to play both alone and in the company of friends, trying to make musical instruments play, starting (for the little ones) to develop own physical abilities with climbing nets and small swinging hammocks;
• a "low sensoriality" area, i.e. a space in which children can find moments of relaxation, pause, rest, designed with care and attention also for the needs of those who prefer to play away from noise and external stimuli. Inside a role play house, children will be able to interact by cooperating with others or read a book, or even invent a different theme for their games each time. There will also be a meeting point with 2 slightly swinging capsules where the little ones can spend other moments of relaxation and conversation with their friends.
The area will also be paved in coloured, anti-trauma cast rubber, with pictograms and iconic symbols, crossed by a rainbow track (which will give its name to the Park), a positive symbol of interaction, hope, union of differences. Furthermore, areas paved with bark or left as lawn will be included.
As part of the intervention, there will also be space for an educational garden with native species, aromatic herbs, vegetables, to recreate a healthy environment and transmit the values ​​of the earth to children and raise awareness of seasonality in a natural context available to schools and neighborhood associations to start educational programs aimed at the little ones.