CREATING AN INVITING ZONE FOR ACTIVE PLAY, LEARNING, AND CELEBRATION
ZONA DE JUEGO (PLAY ZONE)
The ZONA de JUEGO is a zone of active play, learning, and celebrating. Popular children’s games such as hopscotch, four square, and tic-tac-toe punctuate the 600’ graphic and encourage active play. Measurements, fractions, and ABCs reinforce lessons from the classroom, encouraging children to learn. Finally, the timeline celebrates the history and culture of the neighborhood in both Spanish and English. The ZONA de JUEGO project emerged from an idea about health and design and was finely honed through the Community Design Resource Center’s close partnership with Magnolia Park residents, leaders, and stakeholders, De Zavala Elementary School, the City of Houston, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Transformation Initiative.
Design Team: Susan Rogers, Director; Rose Lee, Mirna Santillan, Ricardo Sepulveda
2013
Press:
Building Healthy Places Toolkit
Case Studies, AIA New York City
"The Cheap, Colorful Way Cities Are Trying to Fight Childhood Obesity" by Aarian Marshall, Atlantic Cities, July 31, 2014.
"Super Little Things, What a New Sidewalk at De Zavala Park Means" by Allyn West on OffCite: Design, Architecture, Houston, November 20, 2013.
“A New ‘Zona de Juego’ (Play Zone) Arrives to Residents of Magnolia Park in Houston, TX” by Rosalie Aguilar-Santos, Salud America, July 3, 2014.