Featured stories
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The problem with turning urban challenges into games
Tech companies like gamifying civic problems—but they often reward the wrong things
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How playground design can build a more inclusive city
Nearly one in five people have a disability in the U.S., yet most playgrounds aren’t built to accommodate them
Play Week
All things urban recreation, from reinventing the sidewalk to innovations in children's playground design.
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New York City’s hoop dreams
In the five boroughs, over 500 outdoor basketball courts remain places for IRL connection.
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How King of Pops’s free yoga in the park became an Atlanta sensation
An upstart company wanted to help its employees stay healthy, and a local phenomenon ensued.
These basketball courts are out of this world
With a standard layout and plenty of surface area to work with, basketball courts are ripe for mesmerizing transformations that challenge our sense of the familiar.
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How a rag-tag group of surfers changed Malibu forever
Surfers were an afterthought until "Gidget" burst onto the scene.
10 design-forward kindergartens around the world
Kids today have it good, especially if they get to attend a school with inspiring architecture.
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- Curbed Detroit
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Mapping Michigan’s remaining drive-in theaters
Plan your next road trip with these eight drive-in movie theaters in Michigan.
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- Curbed Austin
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25 best things to do with kids in Austin
We searched the city to find the best family-friendly activities in Austin, from miniature trains to top-notch museums.
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- Curbed NY
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New York’s best public art installations this season
Get outside to check out some of the best art in New York City.
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- Curbed Philly
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Mapping Philly’s top public art pieces
From the LOVE sculpture to a must-see neon street
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- Curbed Philly
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Philly’s best parks to BBQ and picnic
Not all city folks are so lucky to have a patio or backyard to host an epic cookout. That's where this handy map can help.
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- Curbed Detroit
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Detroit's public art essentials, mapped
The best places around the city to celebrate and enjoy art outside.
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- Curbed Philly
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Here's a map of places you should go splash in this summer
There are more splash pads to cool down in Philly than just pools, and Curbed Philly's put together a list of the best of them for you. So grab a towel, the kids, and head on out. It's only gonna get hotter.
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- Curbed Seattle
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Where to find sandy beaches in and around Seattle
For when you’ve had enough rocks
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- Curbed SF
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13 best SF spots for hosting a picnic
Whether you want to prepare barbecue masterpieces for loved ones or simply relax in the sun, these are the best—and most affordable—places in town.
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- Curbed Hamptons
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Where to see outdoor art in the Hamptons
From the iconic "Toyko Brushstoke" at the Parrish Art Museum to a simple but charming mural on the North Fork, here are some of our favorite places to see art on the East End.
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- Curbed Hamptons
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Best outdoor places to Instagram in the Hamptons
Make sure your phones are charged before heading to these photogenic Hamptons spots
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- Curbed Philly
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13 powerful new murals to check out in Philly right now
Philly is home to thousands of murals. Here are 13 new works of art that are worth a visit this winter.
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Outdoor Austin venues for hosting events on the cheap
Affordable places to have a blast in the great outdoors
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Bringing play to historic Philly
We talked to the director of the Betsy Ross house about how historic Philly sites combine "play" with education, allowing kids to interact with their urban environment, both present and past.
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Six major Atlanta green space projects: Where they stand right now
Checking in on parks and trails initiatives in Historic Vine City, Buckhead, Midtown, and beyond.
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Tracking the latest dazzling street art of Atlanta’s Wylie Street
Get outside and behold the newest Forward Warrior offerings in Cabbagetown.
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The wonderful miniatures and oddities of Musée Mécanique
It really is a small world after all.
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New York City kids review new parks in Brooklyn
Who better to review new kid-friendly playgrounds than New York City kids?
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What’s ‘glamping’ like on Governors Island?
Collective Retreats offers a glimpse of how the Trust for Governors Island is experimenting with and rethinking the future of public space
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San Francisco's 10 wildest outdoor adventure activities
From horseback riding along Fort Funston to kiteboarding in the Marina.
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How NYC’s rooftops are used as recreational space
In a city that is bursting at the seams, rooftops function as important spaces for play.
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- Curbed Atlanta
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Metro Atlanta’s best swimming holes, mapped
When Atlanta sizzles in the summer, there’s no better place to cool off than one of these refreshing bodies of water.
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‘Jaws’ on the Water returns—and brings a not-so-little friend
Now movie goers can also see ‘The Meg’ while floating on a lake at night
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Open Thread: What do you want to see from Oval+ this year?
Tell us what you’re eager to see improved about the space this year.
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Where’s the best old-school playground equipment in Atlanta these days?
Have all the tunnel slides and crazy rockets gone extinct?
6 marvelous architectural toys and accessories
From blocks to stamps, these architecture-inspired goods are fun and possibly even useful.
Boardwalk Empire: Atlantic City and Coney Island
Not only the place for summertime amusement, the boardwalk arose out of practical—and political—purposes.
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Seattle’s Milk Carton Derby is a creative boat-building exercise
These boats are human-powered... and made of milk cartons
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Oval+ pop-up park and new Barnes canopy open this week
The interactive popup park Oval+, opens on the Parkway this week, providing space for families to play, bike, run, and lounge.
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What it’s like to canoe on Brooklyn’s most polluted waterway
The Gowanus Dredgers, the canal’s unofficial stewards, lead regular boat tours of the fetid waterway.
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On Detroit’s east side, the feather bowling tradition continues
The Cadieux Cafe is home to the one of the most authentic feather bowling sites in the world.
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- Curbed Philly
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9 Stunning workout spaces in philly
These nine iconic spaces in Philadelphia are hosting workouts this spring—and many of them are free.
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- Curbed Boston
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10 great options for candlepin, New England’s quirky contribution to bowling
The zippier cousin to tenpin bowling was first played in Worcester in the 1880s. No surprise, then, that candlepin bowling has become a staple of New England. Here are 10 top options for candlepin bowling in the Boston region. Get your string on.
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Finding space in New York City’s cemeteries
It’s time to rethink what we want New York’s cemeteries to be in the 21st century.