Forum: Make playground shelters mandatory

I applaud the emphasis on designing outdoor playgrounds that build children’s brains, brawn and friendships (What children need from playgrounds: Building brains, brawn and friendships, May 23). Our children spend too much time indoors, and outdoor play time is crucial for their psychological, physical and social development. 

However, the grandest design framework fails if our intense tropical heat renders these spaces unusable for most of the day. Furthermore, unshaded playground equipment can reach scorching temperatures in the late morning and most of the afternoon, posing thermal burn risks and keeping children indoors. 

This is a pity and a waste. If we want children to reap the cognitive and social benefits of outdoor play, heat mitigation cannot be an afterthought.

The use of integrated shading infrastructure – such as high-UV tensile shade sails or structural shelters over core play equipment – is already common in many other countries such as Australia.

Given Singapore’s intense heat and our desire for children to spend more time outdoors in physical play spaces, it makes perfect sense for us to do the same. 

Designing for shade from the outset safely extends playable hours into the late morning and earlier afternoon, protects our children, and cools our neighbourhoods. Let us ensure our public infrastructure matches our developmental goals by making playground shelters mandatory.

Su Sicheng