Play streets are not just for children. Play, like food and music, is a shared universal language, with the power to bring people together in all their wonderful diversity. In fact there are so many great reasons to start a play street that we barely know where to begin! But below are three, just for starters.

1. Play streets build neighbourhood bonds

On a typical street in London there is often no typical resident. You can find people of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, faiths, abilities, backgrounds and interests. But lives are busy. How often do you have the chance to find out who you are living next to? The street is a public, neutral shared space and play (perhaps with a pot of tea and a couple of chairs on the side) offers a simple excuse for children and adults to step outside their front doors and meet one another. And research says they feel happier, less lonely and safer because of it. Result.

3. Play streets foster children’s independence

Children’s freedom to roam, their right to be recognised as an autonomous and independent members of their communities and even to explore their own street, has become increasingly eroded over recent generations.

Play streets give them some of this independence back – allowing them to develop confidence and providing a starting point for future adventures. On many streets, the lost culture of ‘knocking’ for friends to come out and play returns in between sessions.