Supporting healthy street play on a budget: a winner from every perspective

Street play has declined in recent decades due to increasing traffic and reduced independent mobility [One Poll. (2013). Playday 2013. Opinion poll summary. Retrieved December 9, 2013, from http://www.playday.org.uk/playday-campaigns/2013-playful-places/playday-2013-opinion-poll.aspx]. This paper presents two perspectives on how street play can and should be promoted for optimal health in young (and older) people. First, Alice Ferguson, Director of Playing Out, a resident-led Community Interest Company based in England, describes the development of a simple, elegant, low-cost approach to opening up streets for play. Second, Angie Page, an academic from the University of Bristol, articulates why grassroots street play projects such as these are important to deliver the challenging public health task of increasing physical activity in young people.