Bloomington named 'playful' city 4th year in a row

From gay-friendly to bicycle-friendly to one of the top-five rudest cities checking in on Four Square, Bloomington has been recognized as many things recently.

But the city can also claim one other descriptor: playful.

For the fourth consecutive year, Bloomington has been named a Playful City USA by KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping local governments address the “Play Deficit.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the deficit is a result of children spending less time playing outside than any previous generation. The academy attributes this in part to only 20 percent of children in the country living within walking distance of a park or playground.

Bloomington was the first city in Indiana to be named a Playful City USA in 2008, and has remained dedicated to keeping the title, KaBOOM! stated in a press release.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation program coordinator Bill Ream said the department actually created a Play Task Force to maintain the playful designation.

“We have a lot of initiatives in the works to identify the different commitments we have to play,” Ream said. “Later this fall, KaBOOM! will follow up with us for a report on the actions we’ve taken to promote play and to see how successful our plans are.”

A main factor in the city’s 2011 Playful City USA application was the department’s Park Ambassador program.

The program is an all-volunteer initiative that gives members of the public a chance to improve communication between the community and the Parks and Recreation Department.

Bloomington is one of 151 cities across the country to be named Playful Cities. Fishers, Fort Wayne, Franklin and Indianapolis were also recognized as playful this year in Indiana.

Currently, there are 20 playgrounds in Bloomington.

— Jake New