In the Swedish city of Örebro, the municipality is exploring innovative approaches to developing both new and existing park areas. Their vision centers on creating spaces with a diverse range of plant materials, fostering natural environments that are both rich and engaging for children's play. Below, you can gain insight into a few of these park projects.

The concept of blending playful and natural surroundings to enhance play is termed lekotoper. This term combines the Swedish word for play, "lek," with a suffix suggesting a natural setting. A lekotop is designed using nature-based ideas instead of traditional play equipment, integrating play and nature. Here, natural materials become part of the play experience, encouraging children to use their imagination and promoting health.

The landscaping company Urbio has been instrumental in planning parks in Örebro. Over recent years, they've worked on guidelines to further develop this nature-centric play concept. These guidelines draw inspiration from their projects in Örebro and insights from researchers and other experts in the field. Urbio describes this document as a guide, aiming to offer a fresh perspective and critique the conventional designs of many playgrounds and schoolyards today. Their goal is to inspire new visions of how these spaces could look and function.

The guide elaborates on the benefits lekotoper offers for play and provides design recommendations, including material selection. It also showcases various lekotoper examples from the Örebro municipality, detailing the planning process based on play values and potential maintenance considerations.

Challenging play and green surroundings

One example from Örebro is the park area Eklunden. Nearby, the municipality was planning to build a new school, but they realized that the schoolyard was far too small. Therefore, they adjusted the road's position to gain access to Eklunden. Now, the park area serves as an extension of the schoolyard, providing enough space for challenging play surrounded by a variety of plants.

In this project, the municipality collaborated with a consultant who has expertise in environmental psychology to create the initial design for the area. It was essential to develop an inclusive play environment, catering not only to the general student population but also specifically to children with special needs who have a dedicated department within the school.

Before Eklunden was rebuilt, it was a flat park with mowed grass and gravel. The landscape has been transformed into a dynamic space, featuring hills for running up and down, diverse vegetation, and elements presented in a mild color scheme. The plant selection was curated by gardener Peter Korn, renowned for his gravel gardens, and Phillippe Weiss, an expert in edible gardens. The plants were planted in small quantities, close together, and densely. This approach was chosen to encourage the plants to grow together more quickly, ensuring both low maintenance and rapid results in a park subject to high wear and tear.

Health promoting

A second example from Örebro is Stora Holmen, an existing park in the city center that was rebuilt by the municipality. As with many other projects in the city, the reuse of masses, logs, and stones has been crucial in constructing the play environment on Stora Holmen. Surprisingly, very little needed to be purchased.

– Here, we did not draw up any detailed planning or construction documents during the project, but solved many issues afterward on-site with our project group, says Magnus Carlberg, city gardener and park manager in Örebro.

Another goal for the play environment was to make it inclusive, especially catering to children with neuropsychiatric conditions. Consequently, at an early stage, Danish landscape architect Helle Nebelong, known for her long-standing work on inclusive play, was brought on board to provide developmental ideas for the site.

– It has been important to create a play environment that promotes the health of many. We notice that this has become a place that people actively go to, now that it also has a clearer identity, Magnus Carlberg says.

Plantings with round-grained sand

The last example is from Hjälmarsviksparken, a ten-minute car ride from the city center. Here, the municipality established a park between a newly built residential area and a natural zone.

– We created a design proposal that conveys spatiality and character, complete with sections and reference images. We also visited the site multiple times, measuring and testing various locations and spaces. This material then became the foundation for further development on the site, considering its unique conditions, says Emma Simonsson, landscape architect at Urbio.

In Hjälmarsviksparken, the soil is predominantly heavy clay, similar to the soil that was transported to the site. To enhance conditions for root establishment, mycorrhiza growth, and curb weed proliferation, surfaces designated for planting were topped with round-grained sand. The depth of this sand layer varies: 20–30 centimeters for meadow plant sections and 10–15 centimeters elsewhere. To mitigate soil compaction in these planting areas, designated routes for heavy vehicles were established early on.

Dense plantings 

Emma Simonsson notes the abundance of insects in the blooming landscape, the natural significance of the existing forest, and the edible offerings of the forest garden. The water landscape, while aesthetically pleasing, plays a crucial role in collecting significant amounts of rainwater.

Dense plantings featuring small shrubs and trees were chosen to minimize costs and ensure quicker establishment. As the park transitions to the adjacent nature reserve, plants like rowan, hazel, and hawthorn, among others, were introduced. The rear of the sledding hill boasts berry bushes and fruit trees.

Adjacent to the sandy environment and the small pond, coastal plants have been incorporated. The meadow hills of the park are adorned with a plethora of perennials and bulbs. Additionally, there are wilder sections with tall grasses and robust perennials.

– Here, we have created a green and natural outdoor environment with playgrounds, which are richer in experience compared to a regular playground, Emma Simonsson remarks.