BEYOND THE SWINGS AND SLIDES: SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF HDB CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUNDS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This paper examines the social production and social representations of the children's playground in HDB estates in Singapore as a social space, through an application of Lefebvre's (2001) conceptual triad of "representations of space", "representational spaces" and "spatial practices". A total of 8 playgrounds from 8 HDB estates were studied, and interviews were conducted among patrons of the playground, as well as architects from the Housing Development Board of Singapore. Playgrounds are vested with meaning and continually constructed and (re)produced by its institutionalised and formalised representations, the daily behavioural practices and patterns of its patrons, as well as its symbolic interpretations. The playground is institutionally conceived as a child-safe space, a dedicated space for children, and a space for autonomous play, but such dominant representations are by no means absolute or unproblematic. Not only is there an inverse relationship between the level of safety in playground and its creative play, but children's playgrounds in HDB estates in Singapore are not without images and meanings beyond its institutionalised representations. The playground provides an interconnected representation of the larger social, economic and cultural canvas of space and society. Children's playground spaces provide insights into the nature of Singapore's family system, the employment of foreign maids, intergenerational relationships between grandparents, parents and (grand)children, and the ideas of social security and multiracial issues. Playground design and size do not affect the popularity of the playground. Instead, a spatial model of the playground and its surrounding areas, proposed through an examination of "spatial practices" at the playground, underscores how the popularity of a playground can be partly explained by its spatial relationships and linkages with developmental spaces, guardian spaces, weighted spaces, and invisible boundaries.