Sports and play-landscapes of the future - Technology for a healthier life style.
Chronic life style-related diseases are an increasing global problem that challenges the richer part of the world. Obesity with sequelae like diabetes is now also seen among children in this country. One of the most dominant reasons hereof is physical inactivity.
The development in the general health situation among the population clearly shows that the existing solutions and offers within sports and physical play, are not sufficient for all population groups as a whole.
Consortium for future sports and play-landscapes
The Center for Playware is one of the central promoters behind the “Consortium for future sports and play-landscapes” under the Innovation Council, which, with economic support from the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority, funds user-based innovation and develops new solutions within physical play and movement.
The consortium wishes to re-think sports and play-areas by developing the existing areas in cities and nature. By creating new physical, as well as virtual, landscapes intended for movement, the goal of the consortium is to set the population – grown ups, youngsters and children – in motion. With an enhanced quality of life, improved health, and more happiness as a side-effect.
The means are to create a knowledge platform, which identifies what it takes to motivate the population to be more active in their everyday life, and to create new physical surroundings and interactive products intended for movement in cooperation with companies and municipalities.
Project goal and research method
The Center for Playware is one of the central promoters behind the “Consortium for future sports and play-landscapes” under the Innovation Council, who re-thinks sports and play-areas.
The goal and method of the consortium lie end to end with the stated goal for the Center for Playware: to benefit from the synergy in interdisciplinary research. The center participates actively with targeted user-studies as well as with technological research and concrete product development.
Among the present concrete results, are two larger landscape-projects, which the center has carried out for The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, The Municipality of Herlev and The Municipality of Odense in cooperation with Bisgaard Landscape Architects, and the Center for Forrest and Landscape, University of Copenhagen. Here, physical landscape and technology is combined in innovative solutions and products.
The consortium operates with interactive technologies as an example of the concept of “Playware” offering new, supplementary solutions for the market of movement. A market that will grow drastically over the years to come, where all actors, especially the municipalities, will be forced to think possibilities for movement into all activities like arrangement of playgrounds, sports grounds, parks etc.
A well-represented consortium
The present group of participants in the Consortium for future sports and play-landscapes includes: Monday Morning, Kompan A/S, Henning Larsen’s Drawing Office, Euman A/S, Tripple Design, Virklund Sport A/S, Gerlev Sports College, Gerlev Play-Park, Center for research on sports, Health and Civil Society, SDU, Forrest and Park, KU, Danish School Sports, The Danish Guide and Scout Association and Center for Playware, DTU/DPU.