Playful Streets
A Playful City developed the Playful Streets programme as a low-cost, safe way to temporarily transform local streets into vibrant play spaces by restricting vehicle access for a few hours. This temporary placemaking approach highlights the potential of everyday streets to become lively community hubs, where children can play freely and neighbours can connect. Piloted nationally across Ireland in partnership with local authorities, the initiative fosters stronger community ties and encourages outdoor play.
Recognised internationally, Playful Streets was chosen as one of four initiatives for the inaugural United Nations International Day of Play, supported by the Lego Foundation.
The programme addresses key barriers such as traffic safety concerns and the lack of formal road closure processes by creating a community-driven, scalable model. This includes streamlined procedures for temporary street closures, community engagement, playful infrastructure, and risk management. Building on insights from Playful Streets and related programmes, A Playful City drafted an amendment to the Roads Act to support safer, more accessible street play across Ireland
Today, the programme is running in over 400 communities worldwide—including the USA, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine, Vietnam and more—with resources open source and translated into five languages.
Kindly supported by The LEGO Foundation and charity partner ChangeX
South Dublin County Council ran a Playful Streets pilot in 2024, partnering with A Playful City to create safe, vehicle-free play zones on local streets.
In summer 2023, Fingal County Council launched a Playful Streets pilot in partnership with A Playful City, allowing residents to temporarily close streets for safe, child-led play. What made the initiative unique, according to Robert Burns, Director of Housing and Community Development, was its community-led model: the council handled logistics, insurance, and road closures, while residents designed and delivered the events. With minimal equipment and low barriers to entry, the initiative promoted spontaneous play, social connection, and a reclaiming of public space for wellbeing and neighbourly interaction across Fingal.
Waterford rolled out the Playful Streets Initiative for 2024. Led by Healthy Waterford and Waterford Sports Partnership and supported by key stakeholders including Waterford City and County Council, Ready Steady Play, Sláintecare Healthy Communities, Waterford Libraries, Waterford PPN, the Community Safety Partnership, and CYPSC, the initiative invited residents’ groups to apply to host local play events. Officially launched by Mayor Cllr. Joe Conway at Bromley Walk in Ardkeen Village, the initiative built on the success of 2023 and aimed to create more opportunities for social interaction, wellbeing, and child-led play across neighbourhoods.
Running from May to September 2024, Playful Street events involved temporary street closures that allowed children to play freely and communities to come together in safe, inclusive public spaces.
Belfast City Council endorsed plans for a pilot Playful Streets programme, aiming to temporarily close selected roads across the city to create safe, traffic-free spaces for children and communities to play.
In 2023, councillors unanimously backed a motion by Alliance Councillor Ross McMullan to develop a system allowing residents to apply for street closures for community play days.
SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite said: “Fingal County Council have been very innovative in terms of things they have piloted in that part of Dublin, with the School Streets, the Playful Streets and some other projects.
“They have demonstrated what it looks like when a local authority has responsibilities for active travel measures, something which should be an example for Belfast.”