Design Meets Play Conference
Point Village, Dublin
In October 2017, Design Meets Play, the inaugural conference hosted by A Playful City at Point Village, Dublin, convened a diverse international audience—from urban planners, designers and artists to educators and civic leaders—to explore the transformative power of play in public spaces. The event emphasised how playful interventions can revitalise “in-between” city areas—laneways, pop-up parks, street corners—with small-scale, low-fi installations that yield high-impact urban moments.
With more than twenty speakers, interactive panels and city walks, the conference tackled fundamental questions: Why does play matter? How can we design cities for play? And how do we include teens and marginalized voices? Highlights included brainstorming sessions on mobile play stations to facilitate community engagement, and discussions about the overlooked right of teenagers to gather and play—countering adult anxieties around anti-social behaviour.
Speakers such as Amica Dall of Assemble emphasized how play connects bodies, minds, and communities, and how playful design can nurture resilience and social cohesion. Jos de Krieger’s talk on playgrounds built from waste materials illustrated how creative reuse can inspire imagination while addressing environmental concerns.
More than an academic forum, the conference blended concept with practice—incorporating musical and poetic performances, creative workshops, and tangible prototypes. It reframed play not as a frivolous novelty, but as an essential urban strategy supporting mental, physical, emotional development and civic vitality. Design Meets Play set Dublin on a path toward becoming a city that privileges play, creative expression, and community-led placemaking.
“play is how children make a connection from their mind to their body and other people’s bodies and how they develop their power to act in the world. The relationship between how we understand ourselves and what is possible in the world comes from playing. We need to give children a voice, but that’s more than about letting them speak. It’s about us being willing to listen to what it is they have to say.”
- Amica Dall, Assemble Collective
