波士頓吉事：城巿人唔得閒玩？不如在行人路邊行邊玩｜GUTS IN BOSTON: No time for fun? How about play as you walk?
兩年前，屯門公園的共融遊樂場誕生，掀起了一輪「兒童有遊戲需要」的關注——一直以來，在繁忙的香港，小朋友上學也不比成年人上班輕鬆簡單，密密麻麻的時間表之中，連休息吃飯的時間也緊絀，玩遊戲彷彿就等於放棄學業。於是，人們開始重提《聯合國兒童公約》、重新認識玩樂對成長的必要，而愈來愈多研究調查也指出，玩樂對於成人來說同樣是不可或缺，它有助身心健康、激發創意、增加解難能力等，城巿之中愈多好玩的地方，就愈有活力。
之不過，如果鬧巿的遊樂場本來就並不多，吉人還可以想出更多方法，讓城巿人有更多機會玩樂嗎？美國大城巿波士頓，在2018年展開了「Play Around the City」的巴士站翻新設計項目，廣邀各種好玩的設計想法，目的是希望人們毋須刻意到遊樂場才可以玩，而嘗試把玩樂融入日常生活總會經過的路上：「不管是在行人路上，抑或在巴士站、在上班的途中，我們總是花愈來愈多時間在手機屏幕上，愈來愈少與身邊的人和事互動。我們希望公眾可以重新想像這些空間，讓這些地方成為人與人的連結點。」其中，一個藝術家就把巴士站附近的行人路上，用4種顏色畫上有如鐵路地圖的線條，讓路過的人沿著線條玩迷宮，又或者用線條自創遊戲方式。另一個關注遊樂場的團體，則在街頭的燈柱掛上用當地物件組成的簡單樂器，例如把石頭放進膠樽、用膠管屈曲成管狀樂器等，行人隨手撥動一下，也就奏成社區的音樂。
把玩樂元素融入街道設計，波士頓並不是唯一的城巿，而不少城巿都嘗試以最簡單的方法改動。在英國巿郊哈羅區（Harrow），巿政府也曾在2015年舉行設計比賽，重新設計未充分利用且缺乏獨特性的Station Road，目標是為它營造新的地方感與身分，與社區內的商店和居民共同設計具吸引、安全、有活力的主要街道。結果，Station Road其中一個最大的變化，是商店前的行人路擴闊，不過擴闊的方法並不是重鋪石屎，而是在要擴闊的位置，把原本路上的禁區黃色粗線化成曲線和圖案，搶眼鬼馬。
而在倫敦的西邊白城（White City），為了解決學校與遊樂場之間的路過於危險，重鋪之後，行人路上多了一條用其他磚砌成的線條，沿著線條走，會穿進樹叢之中！這迅速成為大人細路的熱門路線，有人當成走平行木，有人在上面踩滑板車。在新路之上，頭頂還出現像高架小路軌的雨水排管，同時解決排水問題和推廣公眾教育。
看到這裏，你有沒有覺得我們的街道真的太沉悶了？觀乎外國的做法，其實毋須牽一髮動全身的大型規劃，只要加點創意、改善街道時嘗試跳出框框，小修小補就足以讓香港人的日常路線變得更好玩了。
相片來源：網上圖片
地點 :波士頓、倫敦、英國
Two years ago, the opening of the inclusive playground in Tuen Mun Park raised a keen discussion about children's needs to play. The fast-paced lifestyle in Hong Kong has prematurely put schoolkids on the fast track, keeping our children hectic between classes, leaving them little time for rest, meals and, of course, play.
Some brought up the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to remind us of the importance of play in child growth. More and more studies have stressed the necessity of play to even adults - it benefits both physical and mental health, stimulates creativity and problem-solving skills. The more fun a city is, the more energetic its people are.
While play areas in the city are few, how can we create more opportunities for urbanites to play? Let's get to Boston. In 2018, the American city started a bus station redesign project, 'Play Around the City’, and called for adrenaline-boosting ideas that blended play into our daily lives.
"Whether it's on a sidewalk, at the bus stop, on the route to work, or at the laundromat, we are spending more and more time looking at small screens. We're also spending less time interacting with those around us. We want you to be able to reimagine your space so that it becomes a venue for you to make connections." An artist proposed to paint subway-like route lines in 4 different colours on a sidewalk, so pedestrians can play the maze game or create their games. Another play concern group proposed to hang simple musical instruments made of local objects on street light poles - such as a pebble in a plastic bottle or plastic pipe instruments - so that passers-by can co-create their community tunes as they walk by.
Boston is not alone in this playful street design reformation. Many cities have tried some simple revamps. The council of Harrow, a suburb town in the UK, organised a competition in 2015 to call for redesign ideas subject to the underused and indistinctive Station Road. The winning team should give the street a new identity and co-create an attractive, safe and energetic main street with local shops and residents. In the end, one of the most significant changes on Station Road was the expansion of the sidewalk and shopfront, and the expansion was not done by new pavements, but by adding curve lines and patterns upon the existing yellow lines.
To solve the road safety problem between a school and the playground in White City, West London, the city government added a line of bricks on the repaved pedestrian path, which leads people into the bushes. It didn't take long before the new route gained popularity among adults and kids. Some used it as a parallel log, while some rode their scooters on them. The new pathway also came with elevated rainwater drainage pipes resembling small rails – and this solves the drainage problem and achieves the goal of public education at the same time.
So do you find our streets dull now? Playful street design doesn't need massive infrastructure plans. All it needs is just a dash of creativity and thinking outside the box. In many cases, minor repairs are enough to add playfulness to our everyday life.
Photo source: Internet
Location: Boston, London, UK
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