{"id":4693,"date":"2026-04-21T16:41:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vooruit.brussels\/?post_type=nieuws&p=4693"},"modified":"2026-04-22T11:12:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:12:40","slug":"the-city-as-an-extension-of-the-playground","status":"publish","type":"nieuws","link":"https:\/\/vooruit.brussels\/en\/news\/the-city-as-an-extension-of-the-playground\/","title":{"rendered":"The city as an extension of the playground"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outdoor Play Day. It sounds trivial, almost anecdotal. But it is anything but.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children playing outside is as old as the city itself. For generations, children played on streets, in squares, in parks. Not organised, not planned. Simply: together, spontaneously, freely. The neighbourhood was their playground, other children their natural companions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reality has changed significantly in recent decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second half of the twentieth century, our housing model shifted. More private space, more cars, more emphasis on the nuclear family and isolation. Streets became thoroughfares, squares car parks. What was formerly shared space increasingly became functional space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And children disappeared from the street scene.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today they play outside less, and when they do, it's more often in defined areas: playgrounds, sports fields, recreational zones. This may seem like progress, but the spontaneous nature of playing outside comes under pressure. Fewer chance encounters, less self-organised play, less scope to get to know a neighbourhood through play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, for many children there is no alternative. They do not have a garden or their own outdoor space. For them, the city *is* the playground. And it's precisely there that we see them less and less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research by Kind & Samenleving (Child & Society) shows how drastic that evolution is: in eleven years, the number of children playing in streets, squares and parks has fallen by 37 percent. In urban areas, it has fallen by more than half. This is not a small shift, but a structural decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this decline does not affect everyone in the same way. Girls make noticeably less use of public space than boys. In the 9 to 11 age group, only 27 per cent of children playing outside are girls. Sports zones \u2013 often the heart of public space \u2013 are in practice male spaces: barely 15 per cent of the children present are girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is not innocent, after all, playing outside is not a voluntary luxury. It is where children develop social skills, test boundaries, and build independence. It is where they get to know their environment and connect with it. Those who have no place to be outside lose more than just play space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buitenspeeldag originated in the Netherlands in 1986 as Nationale Straatspeeldag, with a clear intention: to give streets back to children. The day has also existed in Belgium since 2005, with the support of governments and the media. All children's channels cease broadcasting on this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message remains relevant today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone wishing to register or who has a question can now go to the Muntpunt counter daily from 11 am, when one of the Buitenspelen asks for space. Literally. Space that is safe, accessible, and inviting. Space where children feel welcome, without everything needing to be organised or controlled in advance. This requires choices: less space for parked cars, more space for playing. Squares that invite you to linger, not just to pass through. Streets where children are visible again. And above all: attention for those who find their place less self-evidently today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not fringe policy. In a city like Brussels, where a quarter of the inhabitants are under 18, it's a core mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor play should not be an anecdotal day of the year, but daily practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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