An exploration of efforts to create more livable and humane urban environments.

This book is an original and accessible history of the modern playground in Britain and beyond, charting its journey from marginal obscurity to popular ubiquity. Tracing the playground’s history from the mid-nineteenth century to 2010, Designed for Play demonstrates how a diverse set of actors across the philanthropic, voluntary, state, and commercial sectors all sought to reimagine and reshape the urban landscape to improve childhood outcomes.