From the beginning, the project of the Sobotecká playground in Prague was out of the ordinary projects we usually meet. This project, initiated by a private investor, aimed to motivate other residents of towns and villages to actively participate in the creation of public space and to contribute to the support of meaningful projects that are not the intention of a single citizen, but significantly improve the quality of life of residents or the community and raise the overall level of the city or even the entire urban area.

After several negotiations with the Prague 10 district, which was initially skeptical, the reconstruction of the outdated playground was approved. The project was financed by the investor from its own resources in the amount of approximately CZK 15 million (600 000 EUR). All the work was secured and organised without the need for a permanent presence of the city, so it did not represent any major burden for the city.

The Sobotecká playground does not serve only one function, as its name might suggest. The aim was to create a park that includes play elements that meet the requirements for public playgrounds. Every corner of this space is designed for children to play or parents to rest. The result is a publicly accessible playscape set in a garden of almost 3 000 m². The playground is designed not to decay, but rather to continue to mature over time and to improve the site permanently.

This project has transformed a neglected part of the city into a democratic space with a poetic soul. We hope that this successful example will inspire more enlightened donors and encourage collaboration with municipalities and local governments to improve public spaces. Perhaps this story will be the motivation for the realization of other playgrounds, streets, squares or even fountains in public space.

Text: atelier Partero
Photo: archive Partero and Martin Faltejsek
Investor: DataCamp s.r.o.
Authors: Atelier Partero (Jakub Finger, Pavlína Pírová, Paulína Závacká and the Partero team)
Playground elements: hřiště.cz

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