- Department Home Page
- Community Planning
- Economic Development
- Environmental and
Transportation Planning - Housing
- Community Development Block Grant
- About the Department
- Popular Services
- Community Calendar
- Contact Us
- Demographics
- Forms
- Housing Services
- Maps
- Parks and Open Space
- Planning Board Agenda
- Publications
- Zoning Ordinance and Map
- Site Map
- About This Web Site
Use the Site Map to navigate
the site
Alexander W. Kemp Playground Renovation at Cambridge Common
About the Project
In 2008, the City began the process of redesigning Alexander W. Kemp Playground on the Cambridge Common. A public design review process was conducted in the spring and summer of 2008, with presentations held on-site, in the neighborhood, and before the Cambridge Historical Commission. The final design plan is represented in the Application to the Cambridge Historical Commission, available for download under “Resources” below.
The redesigned playground was completed and opened in summer 2009. It has a variety of play features to stimulate challenging physical activity as well as creative, exploratory, imaginative and social play for kids of all ages. It builds on the idea that playgrounds are places where children grow and learn about themselves and the world around them.
The playground design is a landscape of hills, valleys, sand, wooden branches and stumps, living plant material, and loose wooden blocks to build with. It is a place where kids can invent their own forms of play. Many features are made from naturally decay-resistant wood. Slides are embedded into hills. Turning a crank sends water cascading down a series of tables into the sand area. There is a swing set for toddlers, a multidirectional dish-shaped swing that can be used by several children at once, a see-saw with multiple seats at each end for groups of children (or adults), and a “merry-go-round” that is at ground level to provide wheelchair access.
The approach to designing this playground is a reflection of conversations occurring both nationally and locally about the importance of play, including discussions within the City’s Healthy Playgrounds Task Force. For more information about this project or the topic of Healthy Playgrounds, contact Jeff Roberts in the Community Development Department at jroberts@cambridgema.gov or 617/349-4639.
The project was funded in part by an Urban Self-Help Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Funding was also contributed by the Alexander W. Kemp Foundation, and through a portion of the “Accessible America” prize awarded to Cambridge by the National Organization on Disability.
A separate project is in the planning stages to renovate the pathways, lighting, benches, and trash receptacles throughout the Common and to plant new trees. A community meeting to continue the discussions on this project is expected to occur in the future.
Photo Gallery
 |
 |
 |
| Web Climber | Hills | Ship |
 |
 |
 |
| Building Blocks | Sand Play Area | Sand Play Area |
 |
 |
 |
| Tot Swings | Dish Swing | Merry-Go-Round |
 |
 |
 |
| Water Shower | Picnic Table | Water Play Tables |
Resources
This file is in PDF format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
For More Information
If you would like additional information please contact Jeff Roberts by phone
617/349-4639 or by email at jroberts@cambridgema.gov.
The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.
Return
to Parks and Playgrounds
Return to Community
Planning Division Home
Return to Community
Development Department Home
