This book chapter, written by Robin Moore, provides a perspective on the state of public playgrounds at the time of publication (1989) in the United States and proposes research and policy directions to support their improvement as viable places for child development. A frame of reference drawn around children’s use of the outdoors and children’s right to play is briefly sketched. The main issues current in the field of practice and arising from a review of the empirical literature are discussed in depth. They include playground use, safety, the play value of different types of setting, adventure play, site planning, and the characteristics of settings that support social integration.

In Public Places and Spaces, Human Behavior and the Environment, Vol 10, 1989.