Jump Rope Stations for Playful Public Space
What to do while you're waiting at a bus stop, or when you have some time to kill until your friend shows up? You could grab your phone, of course. People in Richmond, Virginia, are challenged to be a little more active these days.
In collaboration with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Da Vinci Center and the city of Richmond, non-profit organization Sports Backers has realized five “UpSwing” jump rope stations across the city’s public spaces. Awarded a special grant by non-profit KaBoom!, the organization was able to realize its stations that trigger people to be active, have fun and interact.
By placing the jump rope stations at bus stops and station areas, Sports Backers aims to “get people active for a couple of minutes, or more.” Since the believe in Richmond is that play doesn’t always have to be taking place at a playground, the jump rope stations offer an easy moment of play and fun for people on the move.
The jump rope stations are part of a larger program by Sports Backers that focuses on rethinking neighborhoods and the purposes of our city streets. In a similar fashion, we’ve seen recent initiatives that, whether through ping pong or creating pavements for the people, aim to activite citizens to collaboratively rethink and redesign their cities in favor of fun, play and interaction. Let’s jump for (more) playful streets!
