The Hidden Street Playgrounds of Amsterdam

[@345timmie]

Interesting how we see these little things as normal, yet apparently to foreigners it's something really special. Quite the eye opener actually

[@Nature31]

dat dus ja :)

[@hadevos]

That's why I love watching these videos as a Dutch guy. It really helps to appreciate all these things I never thought about.

[@MoebiusUK]

We have them in every borough in London. They usually have railings around the to fence them off from pedestrian areas but I see that as preferable for London.

[@pingu255]

@@MoebiusUK really? I don't think I've ever seen one in my borough (Merton)

[@stonedmountainunicorn9532]

@@MoebiusUK Someone on the internet being nice to a random guy? You sir, have made my day!

[@NotJustBikes]

You'll notice there are no young kids shown in this video (just one big kid), and that was very much intentional. I filmed these playground scenes during school hours, and when it was about 2°C outside. I respect the privacy of the children who play here. I've since learned about this website that is compiling a list of playgrounds in the Netherlands: www.buitenspeelkaart.nl/ Also, I'm having a strange desire to re-watch Blade Runner. 🤔

[@SweetChiliBros]

One of my teachers at college is a professional photographer. Whenever he makes pictures of urban envoirements or parks he always goes up to the parents and kids and asks for permission. It makes for some very good pictures that tell the mood of a certain place. You won't find any kids playing in a badly designed area. I study garden and Landscape architecture which includes places like these, just not the playground itself.

[@xJonnaax]

RIP Rutger Hauer.

[@Saartje05]

@@xJonnaax It's Rutger and has nothing to do with this. Ridiculous comment. Also Rutger isn't from Amsterdam.

[@xJonnaax]

Saartje05 I know, it is a typo, g is next to h and all, thanks for pointing it out. He lived in Friesland, I know, I used to watch Floris a lot I had it on video tape and later on dvd because I was a big fan. And he said he was gonna watch blade runner so it has something to do with it. X

[@xJonnaax]

Saartje05 and I think your comment is the ridiculous one for being unreasonably unkind to a stranger who made the human mistake to make a typo.

[@sanderjansen5187]

It is not just in Amsterdam but in every city or village in the Netherlands.

[@NotJustBikes]

I figured as much, but I wasn't sure. As I said in the video, they're hard to find unless you're looking for them!

[@RealConstructor]

I live in the outskirts of a town (20,000 inhabitants) and we have multiple playgrounds around my home. 50m SE there is a Cruyff court (public fenced off football field, called a football cage) 50m NW there is a little square, paved with rubber tiles instead of concrete, with playground equipment, 150m South there is a playground on a lawn, 150m NW there is a school playground, with a basketball field, 250m West there is school playground and a public lawn with a football field and 250m to the East there is a a field with a cross track for bikes. Those are the public grounds that I am aware of. There is lots to do for children in my neighborhood, although I sometimes hear parents complain that there is little to do for their children or nothing to help them entertain themselves.

[@ikrame8442]

@@NotJustBikes i live in tilburg playgrounds are literary playgrounds/parks everywhrere

[@esmay3612]

I live close to rotterdam, and I don't know any better than that there is always a playground nearby you have this spaces everywhere, my family lives on the other side of the country and it is the same over there even though i didn't know the neighbourhood that well there where about 3 playgrounds in around where i could play with my nephews.

[@rikkyrixt]

I lived in a town with only 650 people. But it had 2 playgrounds, school yard and a soccer field. There are a lot of kids in small towns.

[@duckyluver12]

This is so much better than where I live. In my neighbourhood, all the playgrounds are in the middle of townhouse complexes with huge signs posted everywhere "FOR RESIDENTS ONLY! KEEP OUT".

[@karstgommer6879]

As a kid growing up in amsterdam this is something I was always looking for when I was abroad but never found. After dinner I would play at these playgrounds with the kids that lived close by. When I got older we started going to the basketbal courts and football fields, which are also common. But I think those are more common in other countries too.

[@MrMarkusmulder]

The beginning of Johan Cruyff, AJAX

[@yash1152]

i am glad that Chandigarh city (where i studied until last year) has these - called Open Gyms i think - mainly focussed on short quick exercises, but hey, they are better than having nothing :) *update:* pasted as a separate comment too.

[@iclaimthisname9767]

Playgrounds are EVERYWHERE in the netherlands. I have at least 5 different playgrounds that I can get to in under a minute by foot

[@paulelderson934]

Amazing for underage drinking after dark, as virtually all dutch teenagers will know.

[@Insightmovieflix]

@@paulelderson934 or jonko 😏

[@roteschwert]

No wonder the kids are happier

[@erik5374]

This channel is becoming a gem. I subscribed. You’re explaining the everyday design of public space (part of my job) to foreigners in a way that the Dutch might make appreciate better the everyday life they take for granted. I worked a while for a little company which designed playgrounds but also investigated public space for ‘playability’. It was a great start of my career and I learned a lot about micro-urbanism. You know there’s a planning system of playgrounds? A small safe playground for the youngest (until 6 years) should be near every house within a 100m. Older kids up to 12 should find a place within 300m and above 12 there should be a space within 800m (usually a soccer field). The ‘Aldo’ play furniture is mainly Amsterdam, although I’ve seen them everywhere. Even in the village where I grew up as a little kid. The main influence that Aldo had on contemporary urban design, is that we design ‘speelaanleidingen’: playing opportunities. A few trees in a pattern. Boulders in a circle. A landscaping with a few corners to sit down and have chat. Simple furniture, like a duikelrek. Sometimes a good design is just about putting 4 poles in a row, so kids can play ‘haasje over’. I learned that ‘wipkippen’ (00:25) are just a lousy excuse for a playground. It’s only a sign: these 12 m2 are meant to be a playground for toddlers. Aldo van Eyk (01:02, 01:35, 1:57) didn’t design those. Children like a wipkip for only a few times and only before 4 or 5 years old. Those playgrounds look awful: grey concrete tiles, black rubber tiles and an aluminium fence. If you only have the space of 1 or 2 car parkings to turn into a playground you better place a duikelrek (and a bench). That’s fun for the very young children. Girls like them until they’re about 12 and even adults sometimes use them (02:08). And there’s space left to put 1 or 2 trees. Much better. Spain also has a great tradition of designing little playgrounds. Not just for kids.

[@NotJustBikes]

You're right that those first two playgrounds are not very good, and we noticed that our kids got bored of them pretty quickly. The Aldo van Eyck playgrounds (like the one in Vondelpark that I show as the example) seem to hold childrens' interest for longer. As I was researching this video I found a lot of people lamenting that newer playgrounds really don't live up to the legacy of van Eyck, which is even worse when a playground with van Eyck equipment is "upgraded" to these newer designs. I'm glad you enjoy the channel. I'm trying to document all of the things that make Dutch cities great that Dutch people themselves take for granted. And before I've lived here long enough to take them for granted myself. ;)

[@mateuszkleczar4103]

@erik5374 Your comment is a gem too. I'm working as a playground designer in Poland and I think there is a lot to improve on this field in my country. I think, that kind of spaces could have strong influence to creating a wonderfull cityscapes. Can you give me some tips where find the informations about things that you describe im your comment? Best wishes! @Not just Bikes. Great and inspiring video. I subscribed. Good luck with Your channel!

[@erik5374]

@@mateuszkleczar4103 I’m sorry that it took me so long to react. The little company I worked for doesn’t exist anymore. But I might be able to help you to connect to people who work in that field. Are you the planning engineer at Jacobs on LinkedIn?

[@JustmeNici]

I live in a much smaller city and I swear we have a playground every 3 streets or so. As a kid it was amazing, you got to go to the playground at the end of the street alone. As you grew up you got to go further and you discovered more and bigger playgrounds in the neighbourhood while playing with and making new friends

[@TheRastaDan]

Your videos already made me searching for it-jobs in the Netherlands. Now I'll be more than happy to show my wife (a playground designer) this video

[@PieterPatrick]

Well? Any plans? Are you here? 🙂

[@leandrog2785]

What did she think of it?

[@Freeze014]

The way you bumped your head at the end is very reminiscent of my experience on playgrounds as a kid :)

[@megustAslagt]

I really like this idea. If I recall correctly, Aldo's designs got quite famous because they were the first ones where the playing facilities did not have a specific and direct purpose like swings and seesaws. Also he put a lot of effort into creating harmonious compositions with those facilities to make it blend more nicely with the surroundings.

[@timpauwels3734]

I never realised this was special!

[@maxvandertuin2559]

Me to

[@chrisw3327]

That's why I wish my city (Liverpool) was like Amsterdam. Sensible, obvious things are simply made to happen. It's refreshing to visit Amsterdam (and around) and feel like you are in a welcoming environment rather than a frustrating environment.

[@midget4581]

Me to, i live in a little dutch city but have a lot off these playgrounds

[@pownaz3119]

@@midget4581 its everywhere in the Netherlands. Also small villages and city's

[@ChocolateMilk..]

@@chrisw3327 Liverpool was actually quite a nice place to visit.

[@GloriaKimbwala]

This is one of the things my kids miss the most about living in the Netherlands. The nearest playground is the mile away from us. When we were in Gouda it was in the alleyway.

[@weenisw]

I learned about Aldo in architecture school but I had half forgotten about him and his work. Thank you for the refresher!

[@brokenhippie134]

Love this! I'm in the USA and we have a few playgrounds in our neighborhood on odd shaped bits of land between houses- hardly walkable for everyone but still nice to see. They are part of the park district but free to use.

[@LoveAhiru]

I like the idea of a city making a space for the children. Something Ive only just recently realised is how few spaces in the cities are fitted for the purpose of the children. However one questions i wanna ask is if there are any structure for the teenaged or young adults?

[@sirBrouwer]

not really that is often a lag for those still.

[@Lumberjack_king]

I'm pretty teenagers in the Netherlands have already become fully independent by age 16 or younger so they don't need "play spaces" though maybe a place where they can mingle instead loitering at stores would be nice

[@edkroketje1]

@@Lumberjack_king They could (and many do) make use of football fields/courts.

[@Lumberjack_king]

@@edkroketje1 oh ok

[@TheTespin]

yeah there are a bunch of skate- and bikeparks, some legal graffiti walls and youth clubs and so on, but it could be done more

[@ChaiKirbs]

2:00 I saw that very playground when I was last in Amsterdam! It's always fun to see something I recognize

[@dkoda840]

“You have to discover the playgrounds” By discover you mean walk outside and look left or right? On a more serious note this is fantastic design and wish the US followed in the Dutch’s footsteps.

[@33lex55]

"He, grote lijp, die zijn voor kinderen!" I'm pretty sure you'll have heard THAT while filming..... ;) Great video, btw.

[@FlorianEagox]

I can't help but feel City 17 vibes with that little slide and merry-go-round

[@MichaelWerneburg]

Great work, clever idea to insert yourself! 8) I know someone who left Toronto explicitly because his area of Leslieville (between Queen and King) was not safe enough for his kids. He moved to Peterborough and they've been much happier.

[@willemkruit6510]

I live in Rotterdam and we used the same 6 playgrounds in the neighbourhood. And then the corona virus arrived and in march you would't let your children play in a playground with other children. So I went on my bike regularly with my 3 and 5 year old looking for empty playgrounds and there are a lot of them and the children were screaming if I missed one. Just one of the little things I look back to fondly.

[@bakasheru]

Not just Amsterdam, these playgrounds you can find everywhere. And in a lot cities they are actively relocated and or tailored to the needs of the people living in the area. Most kids in my neighbor hood just graduated and are now going to uni, so the local government removed the playgrounds in front of my house. We just received a letter asking the locals what other facility they would like to see in it's place.

[@Mikolaj_u]

Stunning recreation of late 90s website 😂 Btw love Amsterdam, went there last summer with family and we explored the entire city by bikes

[@mardiffv.8775]

I live in Utrecht and everywhere there playgrounds. Bringing life and happiness in the community.

[@rogerwilco2]

I think you can find them in a lot of Dutch villages and cities. Just within the distance the average 5 year old will happily run. My neighbourhood of Vinkhuizen is built in such a way that each block of family houses has four small alleyways leading to a middle with a small playground. These things are everywhere and make it really fun and enjoyable to go for a walk with small kids.

[@racheld8920]

They are seen in every city in the Netherlands. I have many fond memories of playing on the little playgrounds at the side of the block.

[@jessie-ht7bc]

There is this one street near where i live (amsterdam) full with small playgrounds. I remember jumping from one to the other running the whole street down and loving every bit

[@lordsleepyhead]

Growing up in the Netherlands it was just a fact that there were small playgrounds everywhere, and these would become social gathering places for us as kids. "I'll meet you in the Iepenlaan" and then we would just all go there and hang out and play, but also have our own child soap opera dramas where we would argue and fight and make up again... we just figured it out as we went along... yeah these small urban spaces are ideal learning spaces now that I think about it.

[@nonexistingvoid]

The first thing ny kids did when I took them to our new house, was explore the neighbourhood, in search of playgrounds. They already have a favourite among the three closest playgrounds. All these little playgrounds have become so normal, I don't think they'd do well in a place that doesn't have one at a safe walking distance. It's something the government finds important as well, since it's a place where kids can unwind, meet other kids, and exercise. That's why more playgrounds have been created over the years. And with one on every block, there's always a playground at a safe walking distance from home. Even small towns have plenty of them. Like my hometown, which is so small, people can hardly believe it's a town. There are five playgrounds in total, one being specifically for cycling. Only those on the edge of town would have to walk longer than 10 minutes to find a playground, but they live close to the forest, where there's no need for playgrounds. I do think these playgrounds are one of the reasons Dutch kids are so happy. They feel safe and free.

[@marije8562]

I am learning all sorts of things from my country that I have always considered as normal. Also explains some of the problems other countries have, I never thought about suburban life in the US and the type of restrictions that brings with it. Really cool channel!

[@Lumberjack_king]

So what are "suburbs" like in the Netherlands are they as bad as the US what's different

[@andiman45]

love the blade runner reference, greatest scifi ever!

[@michaeljirava8404]

I was looking for someone in the comments that noticed as well

[@sandal_thong8631]

Love the first half of andy's comment.

[@diegoarmando5489]

I'm bringing your videos tonight. You're making me want to light a spliff and listen to Ayreon :)

[@sylvassasalladsbestick1342]

We have something similar to this in Sweden. You have to build playgrounds when you build houses (except for in rural areas). There are at least 7-8 playgrounds in my neighborhood alone...

[@michaeljirava8404]

I LOVE that Blade Runner reference

[@yash1152]

One thing i like about you is that u dont so things in over, and u dont show over professionalism as well. u maintain the human aspect of urself in videos and in comments as well. this thing is very lovely. please dont wrap yourself in that professionalism, i hate those people pleaser sounds. i like "bitter but true things" rather than "all stay happy even if wrong".

[@yash1152]

if u want some instances of what things touched me, i can share :)

[@mettelindegardnielsen9411]

Oh... we have that in Denmark too. About 37 in my city made by our local government(a city with 48,369 inhabitants), but in general playgrounds at schools and apartment complexes also tends to be used by everyone who lives near them.

[@henkgertlenten]

That bit with van Eyk is really very funny!

[@animelover-nicole231]

It's common in a lot of dutch cities. When I was young, there were 3 playgrounds where I could go. One at the end of my street, one in the next street and one 2 streets away. You could make a triangle with my house kinda in the middle.

[@aatkarelse8218]

and you had to try all the playgrounds you found. . . you flipping hero !

[@revolvency]

In my country, people will start to dry their laundry there

[@Draregkoeliekalie]

Hahaha. It rains too often in the Netherlands so not an option here

[@revolvency]

@@Draregkoeliekalie ah thanks for the confirmation

[@MrTuxy]

In Ireland people will take a personal injury claim every time their child gets a bruise and it will be successful.

[@samuvisser]

Chris Spelman this. Its actually one of the things i like most about the dutch. Most dutch parents know kids learn by falling, literally. They are not overly concerned about it, as long as things are not crazy high its fine. This i think is a so much better approach to raising kids

[@huan4230]

haha that's every statue in my country too

[@LucasH567]

Glad I stayed until the very end for that head banging Easter egg!

[@webchimp]

Used to have one of those on a little patch of unused land when I was a kid. We were very exited watching them build it. It's now 4 very small houses on a plot about 15.5m wide.

[@doeke208]

Blade runner reference! :D Also, great videos!

[@NotJustBikes]

I can't believe it took this long for someone to comment on that! :)

[@mardiffv.8775]

@@NotJustBikes I notice it too, dispite having drunk a couple of beers. Do not worry, I am sitting at home behind my computer. So no drunk driving. And if I drive, it will be on my trike (bicycle with 3 wheels).

[@sandal_thong8631]

I loved the reference, though its use in the movie is kind of stupid. Just use a damn mouse!

[@mardiffv.8775]

In Utrecht we also building playground for older kids, teenagers. I am talking about tiny skateparks. In some cases with shelters so the teenagers can hangout without disturbance other people.

[@sjoerdmanshanden5162]

Sounds very similar to what they have in the US.

[@queondatavo]

Love your channel dude!

[@NotJustBikes]

Glad to hear it!

[@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow]

We have loads of those as well in the smaller towns in Noord-Holland, such as in the village in Anna Paulowna. Every couple of streets have their own miniature playground, usually only with a "wipkip" and some climbing thing. But the tiny village my parents live in also have bigger playgrounds, with slides and two-people seesaws. Now that I look back on it I used to walk all over the village, finding the playground with the least other kids so my friends and I could play in peace.

[@jessehaenen5915]

3:09 I'm dutch and moved to Germany as a kid. And from my experiences I can say that Dutch kids actually are more independent in many discussions. For example: in germany if a kid dresses up too cold the mother gets angry and forced them to dress up differently. In the Netherlands it's more like: I will warn you it is to cold but if you still dress up like this, you will see it yourself. That way kids learn how to deal with discussions them self.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

Having to go back inside after a few minutes from playing in the snow without gloves because my fingers were frozen was very educational. My mom did try to warn me several times, but in the end she let me suffer from my own stubborness.

[@leandrog2785]

That's the real education. Not make your children do or don't do stuff just because you ordered them to, but because it's a smart/dumb thing to do, and they will understand for themselves why.

[@harmloos]

My brother moved to a new town a while ago and we were all visiting with the family and helping with painting and stuff. At some point I took my sister's kids for a walk and we decided to just explore the neighborhood to find all the slides. It is very nice indeed.

[@frarelblackbird8613]

I live in Rijen and there too playgrounds are around the corner. approx 100 meters (yards) away. All through the town for you to explore.

[@mistyminnie5922]

In a 200 meter radius of my old house, there were three (four, if you add another 300 meters) spaces to play. There was a big playground, with a football field attacked, a basketball field, and two of those tiny 2-set playgrounds.

[@isntyournamebacon]

The head bonk at the end is the best part. :D

[@rebeccaalbrecht771]

We have these also in Utrecht, On our bike rides out into the countryside and small towns near Utrecht, we've see little playgrounds scattered among the neighborhoods.My husband and I moved to Utrecht from the US in 2017.

[@HunterWahl]

That blade runner reference earned a gafaw from me in a quiet office. Thank you for the weird looks NJB

[@yash1152]

i am glad that Chandigarh city in India (where i studied until last year) has these - called Open Gyms i think - mainly focussed on short quick exercises, but hey, they are better than having nothing :) I loved going there on bunks. That city has huge parks, is walk friendly, and also cycle friendly upto a certain extent. You should check video of that city @NotJustBikes Also, the ruling party of my current city had these open gyms in their manifesto for sectors area as well. (but i dont think it will come into effect any time soon, plus, it is kms away from my house, so, i wouldn't know about it even)

[@yash1152]

also, suggestion for content: how about other aspect of the country. for example here i am much bothered by - light pollution at night (white led street lights - ugghhh a headache) and this has also led to serious fall in number of (glow in the dark) fireflies here - i remember when i was a kid, there were a lot of fireflies here, but now there is none. - people extending houses (for example ramps, and roofs) upto 1-3 foot over the road area. - on the road parking in narrow on-the-road-shops market area == it makes it very congested there. i think it car entry was banned there sometime ago, but.... i dont know, that market road is long, and my father always sort of dismisses the true ban of cars in that area, so i am left confused which side to pick. you can maybe shed a light on these aspects of dutch as well!!??

[@NoName-ik2du]

This is cool! Beats the heck out of playing the street and frantically running off to the side every time someone yells, "CAR!" Even though I know you were filming during school hours, I'm curious how much use these get in modern times where a lot of entertainment is electronic (well, modern times that are not during a pandemic). I also wonder if there are any overprotective parents that won't let their kids play on these because the ground is concrete instead of something soft.

[@Edithmedjdoub]

Omg that playground was a big part of my childhood

[@roykliffen9674]

1:21 Seems someone sneaked in a Blade Runner reference (can't blame you.... it's a classic)

[@RiCsoundbox]

I had this discussion yesterday here in Switzerland! Many parents are disappointed with the lack of playgrounds, especially with the corona virus. Parents have home office and the kids are at home as well. However there aren’t always playgrounds nearby in some neighborhoods. We can’t complain here in Switzerland, the cities aren’t as much smaller, so it much easier to escape into the countryside, but this isn’t always positive with young children. It’s not easy to find a good balance.

[@irisdouma203]

In my street there's a playground to block a road. That way cars won't speed dangerously through the street and kids can play right in front of their houses. You just have to drive around the block if you wanna park your car on the other side of the street. Man... did I spend some hours playing on that playground.

[@lukelwnmr]

there are litteraly 6 in my small neighbourhood... that i know of atleast, and i live in a small city, guess that these small (normal to me) things are special for others lol

[@thijs9558]

I really just love your piont of vieuw on life!

[@ursaproxima]

it would be interesting to see a video about big cities that are more vertical (I live in Gothenburg Sweden for example, my apartment building is located on top of a big hill/small mountain). All the content I've seen from you is about flat cities (looking at you, Copenhagen). It would be cool if you could share some insight on the pros and cons of designing a city in a more bumpy environment :D

[@m.moolhuysen5456]

We used to call the little playground mounts, assembled from adjacently placed hexagonal concrete pillars of different lengths, a "apenrots" (monkey rock in English). I loved to play on those, and I would haul lots of sand from the sand pit to build moutain roads with switchbacks, so our miniature cars could climb these concrete hills.

[@stolpie]

Upvoted and subscribed for bladerunner reference alone.

[@6105boe]

Never thought about it as being special, but this video has me suddenly realizing how many I can think of just of the top of my head! They are *so* common that if they were an animal they would be classed as an invasive species (if they were not helpful and awesome as they are).

[@th3seperfectdays641]

I grew up with a (small) playground right in front of our house. I LOVED it. And I'm sure my mom did as well. After school, my siblings and I could play outside, and she could keep an eye on us through the kitchen window while cooking dinner. When dinner was ready, she would only have to poke her head out of the door to call us inside. It was a great space, and super safe, as it was completely blocked off from cars. As my siblings and I got older, we sometimes became bored of our little playground and wanted to go to the bigger playground across the street. Our mom would walk us to the street, watch us cross, and then we'd have to stay at the big playground until she would come to pick us up. Mind you, this street had a 30km/h speed limit and was not an arterial road. There was another playground within a five minute walk as well, and even more all throughout town. I'm pretty sure playgrounds like this can be found in a lot of cities and towns in the Netherlands, but you have to know where they are to find them, as they're usually hidden away in between houses, where only residents would drive and park. Thank you for another great video, and for reminding me how privileged and lucky I am to have grown up the way I did!

[@lauraelaineallen21]

It may be a small detail, but it's an amazing one.

[@JariDawnchild]

I live in the midwestern US, and grew up in a trailer park on the edge of the town where I live. Down the street, there was a good-sized playground with swings, monkey bars, a merry-go-round, a slide, a big field in the middle, and a basketball area off to the side with trees near it we often climbed even though we were told not to. It was, and still is the only playground in the trailer park. Nearly every kid in the trailer park of every age would play there, and the small children would be supervised by their parents or older siblings. We could always go to adults if we had problems with other kids and the older kids would sometimes (but not that often) teach the younger kids how to play whichever ballgame they were playing. By the time I was grown and my daughter was born, my generation had either moved away or had begun taking their kids to playgrounds in town somewhere to protect them from the growing issue with bullies, violence, etc. Bullies had been a thing when I was a kid, but for the most part if they got too out of hand they would be held in check by adults, threats to rat them out to their parents, or just being ganged up on by a bunch of other kids. When my daughter got old enough to go down the street to play by herself unattended, she never did it too often because she was often bullied and was even beaten up once. Of course, nothing happened when adults were at the playground and the few kids who still played in the neighborhood were often destructive and active participants of the drug scene. My nieces willingly go out and play in that trailer park now, which surprises me because if I had to put up with that shit, I would become a hermit at a very young age. The apartment complex my daughter and I live in now has a playground, and residents take their kids there, but it's not kept up very well and there's some drug transactions that happen there sometimes. No one picks up their pets' feces (according to the complex rules you're supposed to), which adds to the unsafe factor. It's unfortunate that the communal playground environment I grew up in didn't survive the years intact, and that sucks for each new generation. It's nice for a while, but fades and becomes a distant memory over time. Frustrated parents want their kids to have the carefree childhoods they had, while sad and wistful kids hear their parents' stories of how things used to be and often feel like they've been cheated out of the experience by adults who, in their minds, weren't adult enough to care for not just the physical spaces but the community fabric that once nurtured and protected previous generations of kids.

[@VinneighPinneigh]

We also have these in Almere. It's a city not very far from Amsterdam. Only they're not replacements of unused space they where designed to be there.

[@SH-ph4oz]

that bladerunner quote, noice! :D

[@CosminCRT]

I thought i couldn't enjoy your content more, and then you bring in a blade runner reference.

[@emmamorley1836]

Loved the Bladerunner reference

[@las1147]

I just discovered a tiny playground in the neighbourhood I've been living all 21 years of my life in. That's how well they're hidden sometimes 😂

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

Wow, what a great idea.

[@dabakonader]

I went on a trip to the Netherlands when I was a little kid, and I remember going to one of these. Yet another reason why the Netherlands has remained my favorite country

[@naomismit7660]

Wow, I never realised it was special! I have like 8 playgrounds near my house! (Rotterdam)

[@King-Ghidora]

Oh, we have lots of those over here in Mexico City, although they are not reclaimed car spaces/areas. When the subway was built, the edges of many city blocks had to be torn down to begin digging out the tunnels for the Metro and for Metro stations. After a Metro station was completed, well you can't really build a house or buildings over that area anymore. Therefore, you either have ventilation shafts and/or open spaces, thus playgrounds or exercise areas. Pretty much, if an area is too small to be developed for housing, it could be turned into a playground.

[@zitzak2794]

Those playgrounds are literally everywhere! I live somewhere else in the netherlands so its not just in amsterdam

[@MrHvleeuwen]

I never consiously thought about this but after watching this I realise theyre indeed literally everywhere, not just cities but towns/villages too. Just thinking about my old village, every neighbourhood (woonerf) would have atleast 1 but often 2 playgrounds. I delivered the daily morning papers in many of these neighbourhoods over the course of 7 years, trying to remember the adresses I think they averaged down from about 180-240 max. With that I mean theres about 180 to 240 family sized houses in one 'erf' with atleast 2 playground facilities for the bigger ones and atleast one for the smaller ones. Just for a sense of scale of population living somewhere related to playgrounds.

[@wheelskellington3112]

in the US if a kid fell and hurt their elbow on one of those they would be removed within the week, the same cant be said about being hit by a car

[@Maevelittooij]

I lived in a very small village in the Netherlands where maybe 800 people lived but we had 5 playgrounds haha.

[@SurakIII]

Dam! Even threw in a Blade Runner reference. Nicely done! ✅

[@NotJustBikes]

That was my first attempt at using Adobe After Effects. That clip took longer than the whole rest of the video. :)

[@SurakIII]

@@NotJustBikes Dude it was totally worth it. Wasn’t Rutger Hauer from the Netherlands?

[@Ottoow06]

Gotta love those concrete jumpingstones. Dutch dentists love them too :D

[@cubeofcheese5574]

The jumping blocks remind me a lot of funky bones. Which I learned about from the fault in our stars.

[@Ingestedbanjo]

I really wish people would start building playgrounds for adults. It's so much easier to get exercise when you're having fun. I love going on swings - they give me a pretty good ab workout - but it's embarrassing (and frowned upon) for adults to use playground equipment. Would love to see scaled-up playgrounds for adults (obviously can't be TOO scaled up cos even adults can't be trusted to be 100% safe), that are open to the public for free. Not just the outdoor mini gyms that I see in some parks around my area (though those are a very good start).

[@spacemule1]

Montréal has a few of these hiden around to!

[@Aprill264]

my town in the Netherlands used to have a lot of these little play spots as well, however a lot of them were removed for some reason (my guess is that the municipality couldn't be bothered to maintain them anymore), not for parking luckily, all of them were replaced with green space. One of them was planned to get replaced by housing but they abandoned that plan and the playground is still there, albeit with different (in my opinion less interesting) equipment

[@bazoo513]

We do have those in Zagreb, Croatia. Perhaps not as many as in Amsterdam, but still.

[@danielmc5693]

who knew that watching a grown man playing in a little kids playground would bring me so much joy

[@adams2558]

Why as a Dutch person am I watching stuf I already know and experience everyday😂

[@nitink.a567]

You want to know what others think of you're country that's why 😝

[@roteschwert]

Amazing how beautiful places become when you put real thought and care into planning your cities and there's no scummy lobbies to influence decision making and encourage shoddy planning

[@GeFlixes]

I've seen them in middle-big (?) North-Rhine-Westfalian Cities as well.

[@ArinaCoryn]

They are everywhere and actually quite easy to find. You can find several in every neighborhood.

[@thessaalders9770]

The area of Utrecht in which I live also has many of these playgrounds :)

[@MartijnterHaar]

I am Dutch, but when I was on holiday in Denmark, this struck me as a thing they do better there. The Amsterdam ones tend to be small and sometimes a bit rickety. In Denmark they seem to have less of them, but a lot bigger and better maintained. Oh, and where I live in Amsterdam there is one of those older playgrounds, originally run by a foundation (I think it's public now) on a former burial ground for plague victims. It is said that when it opened in the late 19th century children would sometimes find bones.

[@tdmike3624]

It does seem to change from the bigger cities to the smaller cities and villages though. I live in a for Dutch standards a small city. We have a few small playgrounds, but the ones I remember are actually quite large, and both include football fields. But since this is just a small city, I think there is more space for playgrounds and such. So its easier to build one.

[@Maussiegamer]

can confirm, these things are everywhere even in smaller cities

[@brutsalvadi]

In Barcelona there are many playgrounds as well.

[@stevedolesch9241]

Canada and the US have a lot to learn about urban design.

[@pezia]

01:11 Nice Bladerunner reference :)