Our Projects
Love Our Laneways
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Love our Laneways is a pilot project established by A Playful City, in partnership with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC).
A Playful City engaged and partnered with local community and stakeholders to co-create a collective community vision for Pearse Drive Laneway (known locally as “the Gaps”) in Sallynoggin.
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The Gaps faced numerous challenges, including inadequate lighting, uneven surfaces, and a general sense of neglect, leaving it underutilised and uninviting.
Concerns were raised about safety, accessibility, antisocial behaviour, and the lack of biodiversity and community infrastructure. The challenge was to transform the space into a safe, vibrant, and welcoming environment that reflected the aspirations of the local community and was sustainable.
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A phased, collaborative and iterative approach was adopted to reimagine the laneway, focusing on collaboration and community-led decision-making.
Through workshops, door-to-door surveys, local stakeholder partnerships (IADT and SCFE), and interactive pop-up events, the project engaged residents to identify key priorities, including Community Use & Togetherness, Greening & Biodiversity, and Safety & Accessibility.
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The project provided a model for the adaptation and promotion of a bottom up approach to the development of undervalued spaces. The process of this pilot end-to-end consultation showed how community-led, co-created changes to the public realm can positively impact the people and lives of the community.
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Clients: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC)
Collaborators: Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT), Sallynoggin College of Further Education, Local Councillors, DLRCC Departments (Parks & Outdoors, Architects, Community, Travel & Transportation)
Community Stakeholders: Sallynoggin Estate Management Group (SEMG), Local Businesses, Local Residents, Gardaí
Portlaoise Active Travel Zone
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A Playful City, in partnership with Laois County Council, led a comprehensive consultation and design process to transform the journey to school along the Triogue Way in Portlaoise. This project aimed to promote active travel by encouraging walking and cycling, enhancing road safety, and reimagining the public realm as a more engaging and inclusive space. Through strategic community engagement, research-led design, and prototyping, A Playful City developed a scalable model for integrating play and placemaking into everyday urban mobility.
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Despite the availability of walking and cycling routes, many children in Portlaoise continue to travel to school by car, with parents citing safety concerns, a lack of engaging routes, and perceived long distances as key barriers. Sections of the route prioritised vehicles over pedestrians and cyclists, with limited crossings, poor visibility, and a general lack of wayfinding. The challenge was to develop an evidence-based, community-driven approach to redesign the route—one that would shift behaviours, improve perceptions of safety, and encourage long-term adoption of active travel.
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A Playful City led a structured, research-driven consultation, combining community engagement, design, and strategic implementation. Through surveys, workshops, and site visits, we identified key barriers and opportunities. We then co-designed and trialled interventions with young people, parents, and stakeholders, ensuring solutions were practical, engaging, and aligned with best practices in urban mobility and placemaking.
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The final design brief provides Laois County Council with clear, evidence-based recommendations to create a safer, more playful, and sustainable space.
The brief outlines a series of targeted interventions to enhance the route and support active travel, such as:
Park 'n' Stride
Gateway to Play
The Mindful Way
The Wriggly Way
The Worry Rook
Children’s Safety Signs
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Clients: Laois County Council
Collaborators: Portlaoise Cycle Bus, Transport for London (TfL) & Tim Pharoah's 5Cs Framework, An Taisce Green Schools Programme
Community Stakeholders: Portlaoise Educate Together National School (PETNS), Gaelscoil Phortlaoise, Maryborough National School, Holy Family Senior School, Holy Family Junior School, Parent and Guardians (PETNS and Gaelscoil Phortlaoise), Community Garda, Portlaoise Cycle Bus, Local Residents’ Associations, Environmental & Nature Groups, Laois County Council Active Travel Team, Community Garda Representatives, Laois County Council Communications Team, Local Schools' Text-a-Parent Systems
Town Centre First
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A Playful City was engaged as part of a wider design team to support the implementation of Ireland's Town Centre First (TCF) policy in New Ross and Skibbereen.
This comprehensive initiative aims to revitalize town centers through community-led development and sustainable urban planning. Our role focused on gathering critical community insights through innovative engagement methods to inform the Town Centre First Plan.
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Aside from specific challenges particular to each city, the common challenges come down to things such as, New Ross faced several key challenges that needed to be addressed:
Limited youth engagement and facilities in the town center
Declining night-time economy and retail activity
Vacant and derelict buildings in prime locations
Need for better community integration and inclusion
Limited tourism infrastructure despite rich heritage
Disconnect between various community stakeholders
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A Playful City implemented a multi-faceted community engagement strategy, focusing on on-site experiences and qualitative data collection, through:
Walk and Talk Workshops
Stakeholder Interviews
Youth-Specific Engagement
Comprehensive Community Survey
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Recommendations made ranged from economic revitalisation through improvement of the tourism infrastructure and policy of support to small retailers to the development of a community hub, to function as a multi-purpose community facility.
Those recommendations were incorporated into the Town Centre First Plan, providing a roadmap for sustainable development and community-led regeneration.
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New Ross
Clients: Wexford County Council (WCC)
Collaborators: Cunnane Stratton Reynolds Landplanning and Design, Optimize Consultancy, Howley Hayes Cooney, Tobin Consulting Engineers
Community Stakeholders: New Ross Business Association, New Ross Properties, New Ross Tidy Towns, New Ross Active Retirement Group, Meals on Wheels, Women’s Shed New RossNew Ross Celtic Soccer Club, New Ross Rugby Club, New Ross Striders, Geraldine O’Hanrahan’s GAA Club, St. Mary’s and Michael’s Boxing Club, Barrow Wheelers Cycling Club, Apex Leisure Centre, St. Joseph’s Athletic Club, New Ross Historical Society, Ros Tapestry, New Ross Piano Festival Committee, Kennedy Summer School Committee, Eugene O’Neill Festival Committee, New Ross Musical Society, New Ross Drama Society, New Ross Pipe Band, New Ross Singers, St. Michael’s Theatre, New Ross Boat Club, Cumas New Ross, Dreambig Foundation, New Ross Coarse Angling Limited, Local Link New Ross, FDYS (Foróige), Rainbow Youth Club, St. Canice’s Primary School, St. Joseph’s Primary School, Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), Ard Alainn Residents Association, Mountross Residents, Riverview Residents, New Ross Muslim Community, New Ross Street Focus, Wexford Climate Action
Skibbereen
Clients: Cork County Council (CCC)
Collaborators: Cunnane Stratton Reynolds
Community Stakeholders: Skibbereen & District Chamber of Commerce, Drinagh Co-op, SuperValu Skibbereen, Londis (and various local businesses), Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre, Skibbereen Men’s Shed, Skibbereen Geriatric Society, Age-Friendly Housing Technical Advisor, Skibbereen Rowing Club, Skibbereen Rugby Club, Skibbereen Eagles Basketball Club, Skibbereen Badminton Club, Skibbereen AFC (Soccer Club), O’Donovan Rossa GAA Club, Skibbereen Golf Club, Board of Skibbereen Sports Centre, Skibbereen Walking Festival, Skibbereen and District Historical Society, Skibbereen Heritage Centre, Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen Theatre Society, West Cork Film Studios, St. Fachtnas Silver Band, Skibbereen Tourist Office, West Cork Hotel, Irish Wheelchair Association (Shop), COPE Skibbereen, Green Skibbereen, Net Zero Skibbereen, The River Project, Friends of the Rock, Skibbereen Foroige, Skibbereen Community Playgroup, St. Patrick’s BNS, Abbeystrewry National School, Gaelscoil Dr. Uí Shúilleabháin, St. Joseph’s Convent of Mercy, Skibbereen Community School (TY Coordinator & Parents Association), Cork Education and Training Board (CETB), County Cork Vocational Education Committee, Carbery Housing Association, Cycle Sense, West Cork Travellers Association, Skibbereen Flood Relief Committee, Skibbereen Walking Group, West Cork Rapid Response, Fire Services & Civil Defence, Local Garda Representatives, The Southern Star, Dolphin Cabs, West Cork Cabs
Rockfield Park
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The Rockfield Park: Play Outside the Playground report presents a community-driven approach to enhancing play opportunities in Rockfield Park, Artane.
The project engaged local residents, schools, and community groups to reimagine play beyond traditional playgrounds. The aim was to develop an accessible, flexible, and stimulating environment that fosters creativity, social interaction, and inclusivity.
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While Rockfield Park is a well-utilised community space, feedback highlighted several barriers to play
Lack of a designated play area
Limited features
Accessibility concerns
Safety issues
Environmental challenges
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A Playful City followed a Listen – Learn – Deliver methodology:
Listen
Community Consultation
Workshops & Walkshops
Learn
Insights Analysis
Prototyping through Play
Deliver
Community Brief
Long-Term Vision
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The work carried out addressed the identified challenges by proposing design guidelines for the space, focusing on:
Play beyond playgrounds
Play Pockets (Key areas identified for development)
Enhancing accessibility & safety
Integrating play with sustainability
Each of these principles includes practical recommendations for specific areas of the park, and/or key standards to guide the implementation of these changes.
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Clients: Cllr Dearbhail Butler
Collaborators: Dublin City Council
Community Stakeholders: Rockfield Wellness group, St David’s National School, local residents, and survey participants
Reimagining Sheriff Street Park
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A Playful City partnered with local community champions and organisations to reimagine Sheriff Street Park (Rainbow Park) in Dublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC). The project, running from March to October 2024, engaged the local community through workshops, surveys, and prototype events to explore ways of transforming the space into a more inclusive, accessible, and vibrant community asset.
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Sheriff Street Park currently faces significant barriers to effective use, including:
Restricted Access – The park is often locked, limiting opportunities for community engagement.
Safety Concerns – Issues such as dog fouling, drug-related litter, and antisocial behaviour deter users.
Lack of Amenities – The park lacks seating, recreational facilities, and greenery, making it an underutilised space.
Limited Community Use – The park is primarily used for dog walking, with little infrastructure to support play, exercise, or social activities.
These challenges highlight the need for a community-driven transformation to make the park a welcoming, multifunctional public space.
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A Playful City followed a Listen – Learn – Deliver methodology:
Listen
Engagement with key stakeholders
Door-to-door and online surveys
Community workshops and meetings
Learn
Pop-up prototype events to test ideas in real-time
Collaboration with local organisations
School workshops and “Play on the Way” routes to introduce interventions and test accessibility.
Deliver
Drawn of actionable recommendations.
Development of a community brief for Dublin City Council
A long-term strategy for the sustainability of recommendations
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The key stakeholder recommendations have come from 19 respondents/12 organisations who represent local organisations with over 500 service users locally and they consist of measures addressing 4 different points.
Revitalising the Brown Space (Currently Locked Area)
Enhancing the Green Space
Activating the Perimeter
Programming & Community Engagement
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Clients: HubSpot
Collaborators: Dublin City Council, Little Treasures Community Creche, SWAN Youth Service, North Wall CDP, St Lawrence O’Toole’s National School, After Schools Education & Support Programme (ASESP), East Wall Men’s Shed, Sheriff Street Senior Gardening Group, Sheriff Street Running Club, Local Sports Groups, and Local Residents Association
Community Stakeholders: Residents of Sheriff Street and surrounding areas and Local businesses and organisations interested in community development
Dublin North East Inner City
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Since 2017, A Playful City has been partnering with community champions and local groups in Dublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC) to reimagine and revitalise public spaces through playful, inclusive, and community-led initiatives. Our work in the NEIC is rooted in the belief that public spaces should be designed with and for the communities that use them, ensuring they are fair, sustainable, and accessible for everyone.
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The NEIC faces significant challenges when it comes to access to quality green spaces and inclusive public areas. With only 1.89 square meters of green space per person (compared to the Dublin City average of 49 square meters), the area suffers from a lack of safe, welcoming, and well-maintained spaces for play, relaxation, and community activities. This deficit has a profound impact on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of residents, particularly children and young people.
Additionally, many public spaces in the NEIC are underutilised, locked, or perceived as unsafe due to issues like antisocial behaviour, dog fouling, and limited amenities.
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Guided by an end-to-end consultation process and through a combination of workshops, urban interventions, pop-up events, and long-term partnerships, we’ve engaged thousands of residents, including children, young people, and adults, to co-create spaces that foster connection, pride, and well-being.
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Our projects and recommendations in the NEIC have ranged from transforming underutilised parks to empowering young entrepreneurs, all while strengthening the bonds between local residents and stakeholders.
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Clients: HubSpot
Collaborators: SWAN Youth Services, Little Treasures Creche, The Early Learning Initiative
Community Stakeholders: Dublin’s North East Inner City Community and Residents
Go Green Routes - Urban Play
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The Go Green Routes – Urban Play was a series of intergenerational play events held across six European cities—Burgas, Lahti, Limerick, Tallinn, Umeå, and Versailles. These events were designed to activate Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) sites developed as part of the Go Green Routes (GGR) project, an EU-funded initiative promoting sustainable urban environments.
Organised by A Playful City over six months, the events combined playful design, community participation, and cultural exchange to foster social inclusion, physical activity, and environmental awareness. The project demonstrated the power of play to enhance urban spaces, strengthen communities, and encourage sustainable living.
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Urban environments often lack accessible, inclusive, and engaging public spaces. The challenges addressed in this project included:
Limited community engagement with newly developed NBS sites.
Lack of intergenerational play opportunities in urban settings.
Need for sustainable and inclusive urban design that integrates nature and play.
Bridging cultural differences through shared activities in diverse European cities.
The Go Green Routes – Urban Play initiative sought to create playful and meaningful experiences that would activate these spaces and inspire long-term community involvement.
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A Playful City followed a three-phase process to design and implement the Urban Play events:
Promotion: Collaborating with local municipalities and organisations to tailor outreach strategies; designing bespoke installations that served as event core and development of branding and promotional materials for localised marketing campaigns.
Play Activation: Curating street games from different European traditions to promote cross-cultural engagement and Integrating nature-based play elements
Documentation & Insights: Collecting feedback and documenting event highlights and lessons learned to inform future NBS activations.
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The events demonstrated several key strategies for fostering playful, sustainable urban environments:
Creating Inclusive & Accessible Play Spaces
Strengthening Community Bonds
Encouraging Physical & Mental Well-Being
Supporting Sustainable Urban Development
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Clients: Go Green Routes Project, Horizon Europe
Collaborators: Architect Julie Molloy, Ozback, Musicians Magda Andersson and Evelina Rolon, City of Versailles (France), City of Lahti (Estonia), City of Umea Kommun (Sweden), City of Tallinn (Finalnd), Burgas Municipality (Bulgaria), Limerick City and County Council (Ireland)
Community Stakeholders: Internationella Engelska Skolan, IZUM Youth Club and Rohelinn, Lahti Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts, Lahti Upper Secondary School Gaudia, Salpaus Further Education, Kindergarten Zvezditsa, Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh
Playful Streets
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Playful Streets are a low cost, safe and easy way to turn a street into a play space, by limiting access to vehicles for a few hours and opening streets to play.
The Playful Streets Programme has been piloted nationally with local authorities, and is currently running in counties across Ireland. It aims to build stronger community connections, while at the same time allow children to play freely and safely outside.
Playful Streets was chosen as one of four initiatives for the inaugural United Nations International Day of Play, supported by the Lego Foundation. Playful Streets can also be found running in the USA, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine, Denmark, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
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Despite the benefits of street play, children are spending less time outdoors due to increased traffic, safety concerns, and a lack of formal processes for closing streets to play. In Ireland, there was no established mechanism for communities to apply for temporary road closures with the intention of undertake and host this sort of initiative.
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The process of development and piloting required close work with local councils and authorities and a phased approach:
Community Engagement & Recruitment
Co-Design & Capacity Building
Piloting & Evaluation
Strategic Policy Recommendations
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A Playful Streets sought to address the challenges mentioned by developing a scalable, accessible, community-driven model that would allow local authorities to support initiatives such as in a structured, replicable way. Essentially covering the follow recommendations:
Streamlined Road Closure Process
Community Support & Resources
Playful Infrastructure
Insurance & Risk Management
Long-Term Integration
The model, supporting toolkit, including signage, and recommendations is available for download in a range of languages on change X, access here.
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Clients: South Dublin County Council (SDCC)
Collaborators: SDCC Roads Department, SDCC Communications Department, SDCC Community Development Department, Healthy SDCC, Local Garda, Eamonn Hall Graphic Designer
Community Stakeholders: Citywest Village (Citywest, Cremorne (Knocklyon), Deerpark (Tallaght), Ballyroan (Rathfarnham), Local Residents' Associations, Local Schools & Parent Groups, Youth Clubs & Activity Groups, Residents
