# Please don't walk on the grass

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly), 2013-12-28

city-space, copenhagen, gehl-architects, love-park, philadelphia, public-space, skateboarding, uncategorized, urban-space

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The blog of Gehl Architects, called [Cities for People](http://gehlcitiesforpeople.dk/), wrote a post this morning called, “[Reflecting on Urban Play in Denmark.](http://gehlcitiesforpeople.dk/2013/12/28/reflecting-on-urban-play-in-denmark/)”

It’s a good follow-up to the post I did a week ago called, “[Skateboarding and the city](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/70022311654/skateboarding-and-the-city)”, because in many ways, the example I gave ([LOVE Park](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/70022311654/skateboarding-and-the-city)) is an extreme case of what Cities for People is talking about:

> _"This sign, and other familiar signs such as “Please Don’t Walk on the Grass” characterize a common understanding of the urban landscape and its features as_ **_something to visually admire from a distance rather than interact with_**_. While play and physical interaction with our surroundings is an intuitive social behavior, playful uses of the urban landscape and its features are often regarded as an illegitimate use of city space.”_

It’s the equivalent of buying a sofa, covering it with plastic, and not letting anyone sit on the damn thing. What’s the point?

Fortunately, Copenhagen seems to be bucking that trend. [Here are a few examples](http://gehlcitiesforpeople.dk/2013/12/28/reflecting-on-urban-play-in-denmark/).

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly/please-dont-walk-on-the-grass)*