Outdoor playgrounds and climate change: Importance of surface materials and shade to extend play time and prevent burn injuries

Pfautsch, Sebastian; Wujeska‐Klause, Agnieszka; Walters, Judi R.

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109500

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…: an airplane cargo hold during transport (Δ T ∼ 50 °C); 25 metallic built environment structures exposed to direct sunlight ( e.g. playground equipment, Δ T ∼ 70 °C); 26 and vehicle exhaust components from start-up to operation (Δ T ∼ 190–790 °C). 27 In a typical IoT system, approximately 50 to 500 μJ per thermal cycle will enable a single measurement and data transmission event.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct conversion of thermal energy to stored electrochemical energy via a self-charging pyroelectrochemical cell

Kowalchik,

Khan,

Horlacher

et al. 2024

Energy Environ. Sci.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct conversion of thermal energy to stored electrochemical energy via a self-charging pyroelectrochemical cell

Kowalchik,

Khan,

Horlacher

et al. 2024

Energy Environ. Sci.

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“…The thermal comfort of a surface is also a crucial element and was cited by participants often. Artificial turf surfaces are known to become significantly hotter than natural turfgrass; therefore, they can contribute to extreme heat stress, especially in children (Abraham 2019;Liu and Jim 2021;Pfautsch et al 2022). Related to performance aspects associated with sports or recreational purposes, participants commented on the traction and injury risk of each surface.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Nothing Beats Nature”: Park Visitor Preferences for Natural Turfgrass and Artificial Turf: A Case Study

Barnes

Watkins

2023

horts

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Green spaces comprising natural turfgrass are ubiquitous in urban areas globally and allow for a variety of ecosystem services that benefit nature and people. However, traditional natural turfgrass is often critiqued for the number of inputs (e.g., fertilizer, water) required to maintain it. With those critiques in mind, some cities have turned to artificial turf as an alternative groundcover despite environmental and human health concerns (e.g., heavy metal leaching, volatile organic compounds). Research of artificial turf has been minimal compared with that of the growth of installations, especially related to social aspects of the surface. The current research used an in-person experiential case study of park visitors in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN, USA, to investigate how individuals perceived artificial turf compared with natural turfgrass as it relates to potential uses (e.g., resting/relaxing) and beliefs about sustainability (e.g., environmental impacts). Overall, participants preferred natural turfgrass across all uses but two (recreational and organized sports). The largest differences were observed for the use for picnic areas and the use for play areas for pets. Participants also perceived natural turfgrass as more sustainable than artificial turf, corresponding to the contribution to human health and well-being. In contrast, participants equally perceived the use of these surfaces in terms of natural resources. These findings have implications for public land managers, urban planners, city councils, and other stakeholders because they consider the adoption of artificial turf or other possible alternatives (e.g., low-input turfgrasses, bee lawns) to traditional turfgrass in the communities and their sustainability, maintenance, and cost-savings.

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“…For this reason, Parisi and Turnbull [15] recommend using natural ground cover as much as possible (or other surface materials with low albedos) under shade structures as a substitute for higher-albedo surfaces, such as concrete pavers. Pfautsch et al [23] examined the importance of shade in preventing playground burns due to overheating of floor surfaces. They found that synthetic turf was one of the hottest surface materials, whereas natural turf was one of the coolest.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They found that synthetic turf was one of the hottest surface materials, whereas natural turf was one of the coolest. The authors established that shaded floor surfaces exhibited no meaningful variances in surface temperatures across color tones and materials [23].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sun-Safe Zones: Investigating Integrated Shading Strategies for Children’s Play Areas in Urban Parks

Cherian

Subasinghe

2022

IJERPH

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Although Open Space Ratio is a critical control in the Development Approval process, there are no ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection guidelines for urban parks. This study explores key strategies for shade provision in children’s play areas in urban parks, aiming to promote sun-safe play environments against alarming skin cancer trends. The literature review identified primary issues affecting UVR exposure in public venues, and the research comprises a shade audit of Beaton Park in Dalkeith. The methods involved using virtual park modeling and Shadow Analysis simulations to generate the daily average number of hours in shade for each month. Our recommendations based on this analysis are (a) a minimum canopy cover representing 50% of the entire ground cover; (b) a minimum diameter for a shade (umbrella) of about 2.5 times the diameter of the table; and (c) an ideal umbrella height of 90 cm from the table surface. This research proposes a potential nexus between landscape design and a UVR protection framework for child-friendly Sun-safe Zones (SsZ).

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Outdoor playgrounds and climate change: Importance of surface materials and shade to extend play time and prevent burn injuries

Cited by 13 publications

References 53 publications

Direct conversion of thermal energy to stored electrochemical energy via a self-charging pyroelectrochemical cell

Direct conversion of thermal energy to stored electrochemical energy via a self-charging pyroelectrochemical cell

“Nothing Beats Nature”: Park Visitor Preferences for Natural Turfgrass and Artificial Turf: A Case Study

Sun-Safe Zones: Investigating Integrated Shading Strategies for Children’s Play Areas in Urban Parks

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