Playscapes is a grassroots urban intervention developed in 2017 by Jordanian architects Sarah Abdul Majid and Sandra Hiari, who wanted to address the shortage of safe and inclusive play spaces for children in Amman. As both architects and mothers, they experienced first-hand the difficulty of finding places for children to play in a rapidly growing city with few parks and limited public space. Their response was to design a simple, low-cost, modular system that could be assembled quickly to transform left-over plots of land into makeshift playgrounds and gathering areas.
The system is made of wooden modules that can be stacked and joined together without specialist tools. Adaptable to different contexts, the pieces can be reconfigured as climbing structures, seating, sandboxes, planters, or shelters. Designed to fit into a pickup truck, Playscapes is portable and affordable, offering a flexible tool to activate leftover urban land. It was first showcased at Amman Design Week, where the structures were used for play, seating, and screenings, demonstrating their versatility and immediate impact.
Playscapes has since been tested in Al Azraq refugee camp and Al Azraq city, where children and families used the structures to create spaces for play and community interaction. These experiments highlighted both the potential and the challenges of such interventions, including questions of legal liability, long-term sustainability, and cooperation with institutions like the Greater Amman Municipality.
Despite these obstacles, Playscapes has received widespread attention from schools, municipalities, and international organisations, who see its potential as a replicable and scalable model. At its core, the project reflects a shift from top-down urban planning to small, tactical interventions that empower communities to reclaim unused land, foster social ties, and imagine new possibilities for public space in cities where such opportunities are rare.
