Playground for adults/elderly in C2S park?

[George]

I don't know who is responsible for programming the park, but this idea is probably worth considering...

London to open 1st exercise area for older people - Yahoo! News

[Spartan]

No.

[Architect2010]

Yes.

This is a brilliant idea and a couple of playground-esque fitness toys aren't going to be terribly expensive either. It's just something that'll make the population down there interact more and add to the variety of things to do in the large park.

[shane453]

Retiro Park in Madrid is one of the most famous parks in Europe. When I visited I noticed several of these areas, and all of them were full of adults working out and exercising, and also doing some neat acrobatics. Definitely adds a fitness dimension to the park that would be a good bit of programming.

[Spartan]

I would advise against putting crap in the park that will get rusty components and fall apart and especially look outdated. It's hard for a lake, walking trails, rows of trees, landscaped terraces, and gardens to look outdated. This is something that would be better suited for a community center or something, rather than a relatively small urban park (70 acres) in downtown.

I think it makes sense at first blush, considering how you want to attract empty nesters downtown, but can't these people already afford a pilates machine or at least a gym membership in the first place? A gym, in my opinion, would be an absolutely ideal kind of business to attract to C2S. Something like this might be a good idea for Retiro Park in the Spanish capital--not a good idea for Downtown OKC for a number of reasons. Retiro Park is much huger, and the main reason, American cities and especially OKC aren't going to commit the maintenance toward keeping this program in shape for decades, long-term.

OKC needs something in this park that requires little long-term maintenance in my opinion, or if it requires long-term maintenance, it needs to be something that is big enough that it HAS to be maintained..not small enough that it can be ignored. A case in point: We've usually done an alright job of maintaining Crystal Bridge and the Bricktown Canal, but we've ALWAYS ignored those crappy streetlights in Downtown--which contribute toward a really outdated vibe in the heart of Downtown, among the other little crappy things that currently add up.

The bottom line is that the last thing this park needs is crappy little things adding up decades from now. Decades from now is when this park is supposed to fully blossom. You don't want the built components to disintegrate once the natural components and landscaping finally matures.

[fuzzytoad]

how 'bout a bunch of big plastic buffalos that look like they were painted by "special" children?

[George]

btw, this type of equipment is not the old high-maintenence / high-rust playground equipment that your parents used when they were growing up. This equipment -- like the new equipment for kids' playgrounds -- reflects contemporary design and the need by all public parks for low-maintenence design, materials, and finishes. Below are some images. (btw, think twice before searching for "adult playground" on Google -- thank goodness my kids were not in the room when I did this... ;-)

[MGE1977]

Can't we just suggest walking on flat surfaces? This looks to me a huge boon for the artificial knee, and hip industry.

Once we get these blue hairs all wobbly and full of lactic acid and they dismount from these multi-colored orthopeidic calcium defficiency finders, we stand to mame and cripple a large population of them.

Besides, I see these sorts all over the gym, mouth agape, blankly staring at Judge Judy on the daytime gym T.V. while incessantly pumping their old sinewy bodies against a machine that is providing them no resistance and no benefit. All the while holding up the few verile souls lucky enough to frequent the gym during mid-day hours. I don't think that we should just cut these people loose on our parks, with their unsteady gaits and quadruple "k" turn parking vision and dexterity, at least not on a teflon jointed, elevated elliptical machine of doom and despair.

Lets leave it to water aerobics at the new aquatics center, low impact. If you are really healthy enough to use something like one of these contraptions, you're probably not inclined take to the park to do them, you'd be hiking, or biking something less pathetically stationary.

[kevinpate]

how 'bout a bunch of big plastic buffalos that look like they were painted by "special" children?

It would create a consistent tie-in from the river all the way into BT and CBD

[kevinpate]

Can't we just suggest walking on flat surfaces? This looks to me a huge boon for the artificial knee, and hip industry.

Once we get these blue hairs all wobbly and full of lactic acid and they dismount from these multi-colored orthopeidic calcium defficiency finders, we stand to mame and cripple a large population of them.

Besides, I see these sorts all over the gym, mouth agape, blankly staring at Judge Judy on the daytime gym T.V. while incessantly pumping their old sinewy bodies against a machine that is providing them no resistance and no benefit. All the while holding up the few verile souls lucky enough to frequent the gym during mid-day hours. I don't think that we should just cut these people loose on our parks, with their unsteady gaits and quadruple "k" turn parking vision and dexterity, at least not on a teflon jointed, elevated elliptical machine of doom and despair.

Lets leave it to water aerobics at the new aquatics center, low impact. If you are really healthy enough to use something like one of these contraptions, you're probably not inclined take to the park to do them, you'd be hiking, or biking something less pathetically stationary.

Sorry to see you devolve from firefighter to flametosser.

[MGE1977]

Sorry to see you devolve from firefighter to flametosser.

Good grief man, tongue in cheek, tongue in cheek.

But I do contend, perhaps not as bluntly, that this is a waste of money, and something that will have only minimal appeal to the demographic. Those that can, will -mallwalk.

But seriously, take it less seriously.

[rcjunkie]

Sorry to see you devolve from firefighter to flametosser.

That's his MO, if it doesn't benefit the Fire Department, he's against it.

[MGE1977]

That's his MO, if it doesn't benefit the Fire Department, he's against it.

Not at all, I am all for the benefits of a public health initiative, I don't think that it is grounds to be called up to Washington to sit next to the First Lady, but I can appreciate the effort.

Now, giving the elderly an unsteady and largely unmonitored apparatus to go swinging about on seems irresponsible and again a waste of money because those inclined toward health are already excercising their desires for such.

Lets integrate Tai-Chi in a free public forum for the masses. Lets organize walking clubs for the elderly. Put a few personal trainers on the city's roll and give them the charge of free, public excercise. I don't think that we need these people swinging from the monkey bars.

I am starting to see the benefit in euthanizing former city department managers upon reaching retirement age, their awfully chatty and good lake lots at tenkiller are hard to come by.

[rcjunkie]

Not at all, I am all for the benefits of a public health initiative, I don't think that it is grounds to be called up to Washington to sit next to the First Lady, but I can appreciate the effort.

Now, giving the elderly an unsteady and largely unmonitored apparatus to go swinging about on seems irresponsible and again a waste of money because those inclined toward health are already excercising their desires for such.

Lets integrate Tai-Chi in a free public forum for the masses. Lets organize walking clubs for the elderly. Put a few personal trainers on the city's roll and give them the charge of free, public excercise. I don't think that we need these people swinging from the monkey bars.

I am starting to see the benefit in euthanizing former city department managers upon reaching retirement age, their awfully chatty and good lake lots at tenkiller are hard to come by.

I see you still can't stand it when someone disagrees with your opinions. As for the lot's at Tenkiller, it's much more, I have 10 acres, plan on keeping 5 and splitting the remaining 5 into 1/2 to 1 acre lots, if your interested, send me an email.

Please don't euthanize me, I truly love hearing you whine, so don't deprive me of that.

[MGE1977]

[/COLOR]

I see you still can't stand it when someone disagrees with your opinions. As for the lot's at Tenkiller, it's much more, I have 10 acres, plan on keeping 5 and splitting the remaining 5 into 1/2 to 1 acre lots, if your interested, send me an email.

Please don't euthanize me, I truly love hearing you whine, so don't deprive me of that.

RCJ,

Now in no way did your first post even come near an opinion on this thread, let alone an opinion on this thread contrary to mine. You are firing mortars from the lake house, and watching the carnage from your periscope.

I'll do you one better, instead of wasting all your bait and cast time typing snarky jibber on OKCtalk, when it comes to my posts, simply input Very Enthusiastically Recalcitrant Because All Divergent Ideas Are Ridiculous, Reprehensible yet Happen to "Entertain" me, Actually, into your keyboard.

Wait, that may be too long - here's an acronym: V.E.R.B.All D.I.A.R.R.H.E.A.

Yep, that should save you time, yet still cover the majority of your posts.

[George]

A quick aside back to the C2S park discussion:

Including playground equipment for the elderly might seem like only a polite tipping-of-the-hat toward being inclusive without any real expectation that the equipment will be used. However, when you read articles about parks that have included this equipment -- whether the park is located in England, Germany, or Japan -- the surprising commonality seems to be how much this equipment is actually used by the targeted age groups. I'm not suggesting this sort of equipment should definitely be programmed for the park (I'll leave that decision to the experts), and more research would need to be done. I'm only suggesting that this category of equipment should be on the list of items to be considered.

[MGE1977]

A quick aside back to the C2S park discussion:

Including playground equipment for the elderly might seem like only a polite tipping-of-the-hat toward being inclusive without any real expectation that the equipment will be used. However, when you read articles about parks that have included this equipment -- whether the park is located in England, Germany, or Japan -- the surprising commonality seems to be how much this equipment is actually used by the targeted age groups. I'm not suggesting this sort of equipment should definitely be programmed for the park (I'll leave that decision to the experts), and more research would need to be done. I'm only suggesting that this category of equipment should be on the list of items to be considered.

George,

My posts were based on mainly snark and a gut reaction to the aforementioned park equipment. I will admit that you have probably a better idea of usage trends than I from your reading.

I am really questioning the injury rate of these parks, though, some of the equipment shown in above photos seems rather untamed. As you stated above it is up to those paid to study said demographics and said equipment and while I may wait about for a phonecall asking my opinion, tragically it may never come.

[George]

I am really questioning the injury rate of these parks...

Agreed -- this is an important point. Thanks.

[rcjunkie]

RCJ,

Now in no way did your first post even come near an opinion on this thread, let alone an opinion on this thread contrary to mine. You are firing mortars from the lake house, and watching the carnage from your periscope.

I'll do you one better, instead of wasting all your bait and cast time typing snarky jibber on OKCtalk, when it comes to my posts, simply input Very Enthusiastically Recalcitrant Because All Divergent Ideas Are Ridiculous, Reprehensible yet Happen to "Entertain" me, Actually, into your keyboard.

Wait, that may be too long - here's an acronym: V.E.R.B.All D.I.A.R.R.H.E.A.
Yep, that should save you time, yet still cover the majority of your posts.

That's cute, my 15 year old says that all the time!!

YAWN, it's nap time

[Spartan]

Ugh. I had a good observation, but it just got lost in all this crap.

[metro]

It'd be a good idea to incorporate this into the parks programming. Hargreaves & Assoc and the Office of James Burnett is doing most of the programming. This would be a good gentrification project and help with the long-term urban fabric viability of our city. There will always be a senior citizen population.

[Larry OKC]

It'd be a good idea to incorporate this into the parks programming. Hargreaves & Assoc and the Office of James Burnett is doing most of the programming. This would be a good gentrification project and help with the long-term urban fabric viability of our city. There will always be a senior citizen population.

And it is expected to double or something like that in the next few years (thus the Senior Aquatic Centers in MAPS 3). Maybe incorporate these into the Aquatic Centers? After all, the Centers are going to be more than just an indoor swimming pool. By moving them indoors, could alleviate some expressed concerns about outdoor induced maintenance issues. but the decreased maintenance cost might be offset by the need to have 4 or 5 identical sets of the things rather than one centrally located.

[Midtowner]

3 things come to mind regarding these parks:

1) Unattractive;
2) Won't be used;
3) People are going to get hurt.

[kevinpate]

3 things come to mind regarding these parks:

1) Unattractive;
2) Won't be used;
3) People are going to get hurt.

As to 1, so are some of the folks who will use it (given the time frame, that'll likely include me and well, yeah, I've seen a mirror so I know it to be true)

As to 2, seems a touch speculative

As to 3, peeps get hurt in lots of ways, young and old alike. Be nice to us older peeps and maybe our grandkids will create a nice playground for you when it's your turn.

[stephy]

The old lady in those last 2 pictures makes me angry for some weird reason.