Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Psychology
Advisor
Roger Hart
Advisor
Cindi Katz
Committee Members
Marta Gutman
Rickie Sanders
Meghan Talarowski
Subject Categories
American Material Culture | Human Geography | Other Psychology | Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration | Social History | Urban Studies | Urban Studies and Planning
Keywords
adventure playground, playground, play, park, child, childhood
Abstract
This dissertation provides an historical analysis of repurposed material adventure playgrounds in the United States between 1949 and 1999. Three microhistories of adventure playgrounds (The Yard, in Minneapolis, M.N., and several playgrounds in New York City, N.Y., and Houston, T.X.) are framed against the wider socio-economic changes that shaped more than thirty-five adventure playgrounds in the United States over the period of study. By focusing on the relationships mobilized by adventure playground advocates at different scales and across different points of view, and how these networks shaped the local production of spaces for play, this dissertation's method underlines the importance of attending to local geographies when grappling with questions about what sorts of spaces are possible. This study argues that the history of U.S. adventure playgrounds provides useful lessons for contemporary play advocates seeking to create these types of play environments today.
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Reilly B., "Building Networks, Producing Spaces for Play: Local Geographies and National Organizing in the History of Adventure Playgrounds in the United States, 1949-1999" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5954
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Included in
American Material Culture Commons, Human Geography Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons, Social History Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons