The City A Playground

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Skateboarding: element of ‘play’ in the concrete jungle – the notion of moving through the city, experiencing the city through acting, performing and skateboarding.

The city a playground As cities become denser will there still be places for recreation or play? Masayuki Tajima argues that there will be plenty of opportunities for people to enjoy themselves in the concrete jungle – as long as we do not banish urban sports like skateboarding from our public places. Masayuki Tajima (West 8 Urban design and landscape architecture, Rotterdam) Illustrations: Maurer United Architects (MUA), Maastricht

Americansportsdata.com states: ‘As part of a

One of these ‘new’ sports is skateboarding.

Skateboarding has entered urban life so

larger social and technological transformation,

In Europe the subculture associated with

rapidly that it deserves to be studied by

the thinking, lifestyles, and leisure

skateboarding has become successfully

urban designers. This article looks at

behaviour of young people have been

rooted in the contemporary urban

skateboarding as an urban play activity,

profoundly affected in recent decades. And

environment, despite past political

mainly from the perspective of urban

perhaps, as some would argue, the changes

opposition, and skateboarders now make up

design.

in youthful psychology and behaviour are

a critical mass in most of the major cities.

transforming the larger society. Whatever

The subculture is a strong cultural, social

the sociological reality, the landscape of

and economic force in the city.

youth sports participation is being altered

Skateboarding itself is quite ‘urban’. Like

they tend to search for a perfect spot. This

dramatically.’

bicycles, BMX, rollerblades and roller skates,

spotting process is often unpredictable and

As most of these sports take place on the

skateboards rely on hard surfaces such as

varies for both social and spatial reasons.

street, the public realm is affected as well.

concrete and asphalt.

What makes a great spot depends on the

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finding a spot Skateboarders do not just play anywhere;

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Moving like a snake much faster than walking speed, skateboarding can become a spiritual statement

Master class on building one’s own skate facility.

Construction of a skate bowl.

type of skateboarder: street skater, downhill

tried it knows the intense feeling it gives – a

looking for a variety of activities, such as

skater, half-pipe skater or pool skater. Each

rush. This is the next level in perceiving the

shopping, going to the movies, reading

type of skateboarder moves around the city

cityscape: moving like a snake much faster

magazines, checking out people and buying

in different ways. Some consistently move

than walking speed, skateboarding can

gear. Skateboarders display typical territorial

from spot to spot for street skating. Some

become a spiritual statement. Amazingly,

behaviour and have their own favourite

look for a single good spot within the city,

this purified pleasure can be created in the

spots where they feel comfortable, release

such as a smooth downhill for faster speed

middle of a harsh urban environment.

their energy and capture the special spatial

and dynamic movement, or special grinding

Another important factor in finding a great

quality of their playground. These spots are

rails. Others will look for abandoned

spot is socially determined. The element of

their home bases, from where they explore

concrete structures where they can

‘seeing and being seen’ is a key factor in

other places. Skateboarders are frequently

skateboard and play. Some just head straight

understanding how skateboarders choose a

moved on from the more appreciated spots

for the skatepark and stay there all day long.

spot. Part of the play is showing off to each

and are often forced to choose locations we

Some may even search for an empty pool to

other and to the public. The most visible

might call ‘non-spaces’ – spots where other

skate in. Few skaters seem to use their

spots are found in the city centre, which is

people are not bothered by their presence.

skateboard as a regular means of

easy to get to and provides a large potential

transportation; most rely on trams, buses or

public.

spatial conditions

bicycles to move around the city. In terms

Skateboarders tend to form groups to learn

of physical experience, skateboarders are

from each other in an atmosphere of

troubled reputation. Cities authorities and

highly aware of the city because they

friendly competition. Although

property owners do no really like young

directly experience differences in the

skateboarding is an individual sport, those

people hanging out at certain spots. This

streetscape design, such as a drop of 5 cm, 1°

who participate in it like to stick together as

dislike is sometimes justified by claiming

slopes, or the spaces in the joints between

friends and as a group. This social aspect is

that skateboarding is a dangerous activity,

material objects. Skateboarders experience

further emphasised by the fact the

a reputation gained mainly in the United

space through movement. Anyone who has

skateboarders are typical city dwellers

States, where on sloping streets they can

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Somehow skateboarders have gained a

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Impression of the future Broekpolder site.

Wereldtop skatewereld komt naar Rotterdam ROTTERDAM – De beste skaters van de wereld komen in juli naar Rotterdam voor het Snickers Worldchampionship Skateboarding. Volgens de organiserende stichting is het een van de belangrijkste kampioenschappen voor de skatewereld. De wedstrijden spelen zich af in Ahoyʼ, het randprogramma op straat en op verscheidene andere locaties. De skatedriedaagse op 15, 16 en 17 juli staat niet alleen in het teken van de

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westrijden, ook de cultuur die bij deze individuele straatsport hoort krijgt volop aandacht. Zo zal er in het Nederlands Architectuurinstituut NAi een fototentoonstelling te zien zijn over architectuur in relatie tot skatenboarding. Tussen het NAi aan het Museumpark en Ahoyʼ komt een architectuurroute. In de Witte de Withstraat belichten galeries en kunstinstellingen de culturele uitingen uit de skatewereld zoals muziek,

beeldende kunst en fotografie. ,,Het is een apart wereldje met zʼn eigen muziek en kleding. En dat willen we ook laten zienʼʼ, aldus Jongeneel. Over dat wereldje en aanverwante zaken zullen dagelijks talkshows worden gehouden in Calypso. Verder staan er feesten in Nighttown en Off-Corso op het programma. Het publiek kan zich vergapen aan de kunsten van de skaters op het Schouwburgplein waar een halfpipe wordt geplaatst.

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reach considerable speeds and can cause

Westblaak

Promoting the use of public space in

serious accidents. The Netherlands is a flat

Skateboarders in the Netherlands also

different ways is valuable because it

country where you cannot benefit from

depend on planned environments outdoors.

eventually creates a lively city.

downhill streets and skateboarding here is

Generally speaking, these are skateboarding

Skateboarding and any other urban play can

mainly a sporting activity. Injuries, if any, are

ramps in parks or special skateparks. A

help to reinvent the city in creative ways by

self-inflicted and do not affect others.

successful example is the skateboarding

drawing on childhood memories that are

Nevertheless, skateboarders are often

park on the Westblaak in Rotterdam. The

linked to the idea of the ‘attractive city’. And

moved on, or have to use regulated places:

idea of locating a skatepark right in the city

because it promotes creative thinking, the

so-called planned environments. Roughly

centre arose after skateboarders became

skateboarding culture should be seen as an

speaking, there are two kinds of such

tired of constantly being moved on. They

asset for city dwellers: it can help to produce

environments: indoors and outdoors.

drew up a petition and the city responded

a wonderful and playful city.

positively to the initiative. The city council Indoor skateboard parks can offer a lot.

proposed an underused green area in the

Although not located in the city centre and

middle of the Westblaak, a major traffic

not situated in the public eye, skateparks

artery bordering the shopping district.

can still provide a strong domain for

Westblaak can be perceived as an urban void

grouping. These unchanging and

in the middle of the central area of

deserves to be studied by urban designers

comfortable environments, with warm

Rotterdam. This central location is so

because skateboarders intimately

temperatures in the winter and no rain,

effective that it guaranteed the skatepark’s

experience the physical and spatial qualities

attract many users. In Eindhoven, Europe’s

success and it is always crowded, especially

of the streetscape. In the mainly flat Dutch

largest wooden skatebowl, designed by

in summer. It became a symbol for

cities, and because of social pressures,

Maurer United Architects (MUA) and

skateboarders and an icon for the cultural

skateboarders often rely on planned indoor

Eindhoven University of Technology, has

identity of the city of Rotterdam. But despite

skate courts and outdoor skateparks,

attracted considerable publicity and won

its success, and despite the high level of

including some innovative environments:

many prizes. Unlike ordinary Dutch

appreciation of this space by the general

the prize-winning wooden skatebowl in

architectural offices, MUA actively promotes

public, the usual problems surfaced.

Eindhoven, the largest in Europe; the

the skateboarding culture. In Utrecht MUA

Property owners, concerned about the

polyester skateboard pavilion in Utrecht; the

designed a skateboard pavilion made of

depreciation of the value of their property,

famous Westblaak skatepark in Rotterdam

polyester, and on location gave children

have twice filed lawsuits against the

city centre, already an icon of the city’s

master classes on building their own

municipality to have the skatepark removed.

cultural identity; and a planned outdoor

skate facility.

Fortunately, they were not successful in

environment in Broekpolder designed for

their attempts and young people in

speed in line with skateboarders’ wishes. But

Rotterdam still have a perfect spot to play.

skateboarding can also be an asset for

Broekpolder

urban extension located between Beverwijk

summary The skateboarding subculture in Europe

reinventing the wider city in creative ways

An interesting new outdoor skateboarding environment will be built in Broekpolder, an

For reactions: [email protected]

the playful city When I interviewed professor Iain Borden

and Heemskerk. Here MUA designed a linear

from the Bartlett School of Architecture

skateboarding park in collaboration with

(BSA) at University College London, who is

Dutch skateboarder Maarten van Viegen and

also the author of the book Skateboarding,

American skateboard culture specialist Jocko

Space and the City, the first thing he

Weyland. MUA approached the project by

mentioned about skateboarding was the joy

asking the young film-maker Sarah

it gives. First and foremost, skateboarding

Domogala to document the local

should be seen as a source of joy, of extreme

skateboarder’s wishes for a future skate

pleasure within the ‘concrete jungle’.

facility, and after further investigation and

Because skateboarders play with urban

consultation decided that the design should

materials such as concrete, asphalt, and

focus on speed. This unique skate court

steel, they can make any place in the city

allows skateboarders to reach very high

their playground. They can enjoy

speeds and perform dynamic actions.

weatherproof indoor facilities, but outdoor

to produce joyful, lively and playful urban spaces. Z

facilities provide an added value for the public domain.

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