A super-long, high-clearance swing under a bridge? A neighborhood park in Taipei transforms scrap materials into new play equipment

▲ Photos from the trial play session at the “Citizen Swing Experimental Base” during the Taipei Neighborhood Parks Transformation Project briefing. (Photo / Courtesy ofWorld Design Capital Taipei 2016, the same below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

How can there be a high-clearance, super-long swing under a bridge? The “Citizen Swing Experimental Base” under the Civic Boulevard Bridge features many large hanging swings that not only beautify the urban landscape but have also recently become a resting and recreational spot for families. These super-long swings are actually an experimental case of the Taipei City Cultural Affairs Bureau’s “Taipei Neighborhood Parks Transformation Project,” and have attracted many visitors since opening to the public on August 10.

▲ Close-up photos of the facilities at the “Citizen Swing Experimental Base.”

The Taipei City Cultural Affairs Bureau’s International Design Collaboration Program under the World Design Capital initiative partnered with the selected team “Urban Yeast” and the Spanish design group “basurama” to create two experimental cases under the “Taipei Neighborhood Parks Transformation Project”: one is the “Citizen Swing Experimental Base,” and the other is the revitalization of an abandoned water tower at the “Children’s Aspiration Park,” aiming to improve the currently monotonous public space design in neighborhood parks.

▲ Aerial photo of the revitalized public space at the “Children’s Aspiration Park” using an abandoned water tower.

The “Citizen Swing Experimental Base” repurposed discarded streetlight poles by designing and welding them into oversized swings and lounge chairs, painting them in bright yellow for visibility, and installing safety signs. This allows families to enjoy playtime together in the space under the bridge, giving a new purpose to what was once a dimly lit, shadowy area. The “Children’s Aspiration Park” used various sizes of idle water towers as materials, cutting and reassembling them into a water tower ball pit, water tower slide, and water tower tunnel, while covering the interiors with different textures to allow children to explore new sensory experiences through touch and observation.

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