GENE

INA

IN A

CTIO

NDESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTINGA PUBLIC SPACE TO MEETAND PLAY IN CAIRO’S MASAKEN OTHMAN

GENEINAIN ACTION

Meet and Play Project Team:Ghada Sherif, Heba Shama, Ismael Moneer, Kareem Ibrahim, Mah-moud el-Sawy, Mona Mannoun, Nevine Akl, Youssef HalimProject Manager: Mona FaroukSite Engineer: Mohamed Abd el SattarConsultant: Renet Korthals Altes

Authors:Takween integrated community development TeamGhada Sherif, Heba Shama, Lamia Ayman, Noha Refaat, Ragya El-masry, Mona Farouk, Mona MannounMake space for playRenet Korthals Altes

Thanks To: Local community Children of Masaken OthmanWorkshops Moderators:AbdelRahman Kashmiry, Ahmed Borham, Ahmed Abd Elgawad, Renet Korthals AltesWorkshops Participants: Ahmed Tork, Ahmed Lamloum, Ahmed Hamed, Aliaa Adel Aly, Aya Abdelrahim, Deena El-Mahdy, Faiza Ha-mid, Gehad Mohamed, Hala Abotaleb, Heba Fathi, Heba Hosny, Ismail A. Seleit, Lobna Mitkees, Maggie Leon Maggar, Medhat Kazem, Menna Metwally, Mina Wagih Wardakhan, Mostafa Khattab, Nedaa Mahboub, Nouran Azouz, Nourhan Gheriany, Omar Essam ElKousy, Nouran Badr-eldin, Radwa Zidane, Safy Hassan, Yousra Moataz Radwan, Rawda AL-din M.Aziz, Youmna al farahat, Yasmine MaherLabors (Names)Hekayat men BaladnaClowns Sans Frontiers (France) and Outa Hamra (Egypt)

Photo credits: Photographers: Rehab Sobhy, Hybrid Design, Takween integrated community development Team: Heba Shama, Ismael Moneer, Lamia Ayman, Noha Refaat, Ragya elmasry,Mona Farouk, Mona Mannoun, Nevine Akl, Youssef Halim

Graphic Designer: Hybrid

Supported byThe project is funded by UNHCR. The workshops are implemented within the framework of the trans-formation partnership between Germany and Egypt.Shaarawy Foundation for development cooperated in the project as a local based NGO.

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 6

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES

DESIGN

IMPLEMENTATION

CLOSING REMARKS

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Takween integrated community development, Cairo, Egypt.

© 2015 All rights are reserved for Takween Integrated community Development

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION TO MASAKEN OTHMAN

CHALLENGES IN MASAKEN OTHMAN

THEORIES & APPROACHES

PROJECT OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION TO MASAKEN OTHMANMasaken Othman, a remote public housing project on the fringes of Sixth of October City, hosts a mixed community of Syrian refu-gees as well as displaced families from informal settlement areas in Cairo. The area suffers from the lack of public services - including highly needed public open spaces - especially serving the needs of children and women.

CHALLENGES IN MASAKEN OTHMANThe area, while meets basic accommodation needs, faces vari-ous challenges including - but not limited to- the lack of efficient transportation, which results in the isolation of the community from necessary services such as schools, jobs, health facilities. The area also suffers from insufficient public lighting, basic water services, as well as lack of existing public recreational spaces. There is a high security risk and persistent state of social tension among the residents due to the different nationalities and diverse cultures and backgrounds, and the complete absence of official security authorities in the area.

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THEORIES & APPROACHES

Throughout the various project phases, the consultant em-ployed a participatory approach; from site selection, all the way to design and implementation. The participatory approach is, to the consultant, a key tool in benefiting the community and bringing about the best results, as intended. By engaging the locals in the decision-making process, there is, firstly, the direct benefit of achieving the most appropriate standards according to the beneficiaries themselves who have the best understanding of their context, and the indirect benefit of cre-ating a sense of belonging between the users and the project – creating a positive relationship that will aid in its sustainability and success in the future.

Participation

The Right to Play

Where can the children of Cairo play freely and safely? The priv-ileged Cairene children play at their clubs, but where can the vast majority of children play?

Playing is an underestimated need of children in urban environ-ments. Free and active play benefits physical health, cognitive development, emotional wellbeing and social development. In areas with a mixed population, integration is more likely if it offers opportunities to meet and play. A more child friendly public space would not only result in safe places for children to play and meet, it would also stimulate a more active lifestyle. Inclusion of children’s needs in public space, contributes to the empowerment of children, their citizen participation and sense of belonging to their city.

Children play longer, more actively, and more inclusively, if the playground offers enough space and variety of play. Different age groups, boys and girls, different cultures and different types of children should all be invited to play actively in the playground. Therefore, it is important to design a diverse playground, a playful environment in which all children feel welcomed and challenged.

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‘Geneina’ is the new open space located in Masaken Othman area, providing a recreational communal node for children and women residing in the area. The area allows the children, of all ages and nationalities, to actively play. The space is created as an interactive atmosphere with a diversity of play elements that are designed and based on par-ticipatory design workshops conducted with the children and parents. It is a place for the children that they can call their own, where they can play freely and enjoy the simplest rights of their childhood.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Project Goals

Project Description

The project’s main goal is to increase level of integration and mutual acceptance between the local host community and the Syrian refugees living in Masaken Othman, through engaging members of these communities in the planning, design and implementation of public space improvements, to create safe and stimulating outdoor area for gathering and playing that are inviting and accessible for all – especially women and children, regardless of their nationality.

The project targeted a number of objectives, as follows: 1. Empowerment of women and children throughout the

whole process of participation.2. Social integration among inhabitants from diverse back-

grounds.3. Gender equality by providing a gender sensitive and suit-

able safe place for women and their children.4. Improvement of children’s psychological well-being.5. Cooperative management of the space.6. Successful model that can be repeated and implemented

in other areas that face the same problems as those of Masaken Othman.

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Geneina also targets to provide a platform for mothers - and women in general - to interact openly and safely. Seating areas while they are monitoring their children playing.

Creating such a safe outdoor ‘Meet and Play’ area, serving as a functional public open space, is highly needed as expressed by the inhabitants of Masaken Othman; to benefit the entire community, increasing the level of integration and mutual ac-ceptance between the locals and the Syrian refugees.

PROJECTACTIVITIES

FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE AREA

SITE SELECTION

DESIGN

IMPLEMENTATION

FINAL PRODUCT

PROJECTACTIVITIES

FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE AREA

Introductory MeetingsSeveral meetings were conducted at the early phase of the project with the help of UNHCR. On the official level, coordi-nation meetings were conducted with Sixth of October City Administration officials to introduce the project and ask for their support to get the required approvals.

On the other hand, the project’s team also organized several meetings in Masaken Othman with community members, with the support of Shaarawy Foundation; the local NGO based in the area. The meetings included members from the newly assigned local Community Committee formed by Care Interna-tional. The team also reached out to include more members of the community from Syrians and Egyptians, through several walks and informal chats in the neighborhood. The aim of these meetings and talks was to introduce the project’s idea to the community, understand their problems and needs, and discuss the suitable potential location of the proposed ‘Meet and Play’ area.

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FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE AREA

Assessment of the Area

Public Events

Both social and physical assessments were done in the area.

First, a quick questionnaire was conducted to reach a better understanding of the community’s interaction and usage of streets and public spaces, their choices of recreation, social interaction in public space, and expectations about a pro-posed future open space in the area. Questions were asked to different community groups like women, children, shop owners and passers-by from both host community and Syrian refugees. Certain sections of the questionnaire were designed to address each community group at a time to understand in depth issues like safety and mutual acceptance.

Second, a Physical assessment was done through general pho-to documentation, with specific focus on the project’s potential locations and their surroundings. The team also took some field measurements for the suggested locations and created 2D and 3D sketches for them. A general assessment was done for the selected locations and their surroundings in terms of acces-

The idea of organizing public events in Masaken Othman at the early phase of the project was another strategy for mobilizing the community and introducing the project’s idea to a wider audience. Organizing those public events was a good chance for the project’s team to start observing more deeply and critically how the local community -with its diverse members- interact and respond to public cultural activities taking place in the common public space, and also to gain more trust from the community. Those events were also aiming to encourage residents to perceive the public space as an inclusive gather-ing space which they can all use collectively, and to develop a sense of mutual ownership.

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In this context, two public events took place. The first one - in May 2014 - was a puppet show performed by ‘Hekayat men baladna’ team. The content of this show had an indirect mes-sage tackling the idea of inclusion, coexistence and diversity, which was very well received by the children as they gave their impressions and feedback to the project’s team later. About 350 inhabitants from different age groups and nationalities - the majority of which were children - attended the event.

The second event took place - as a request from the UNHCR - in celebration of the World Refugee Day on the 20th of June 2014. The program included a clown-circus street performance by ‘Clowns Sans Frontiers’ with ‘Outa Hamra’, and a puppet show by ‘Hekayat men Baladna’. The event took place in another public space, close to the current location of Gene-ina. This event attracted different age groups including adults and teenagers due to the content of the show. It was a good chance to observe the behavior of the different target groups, their interaction and their spatial configuration based on their gender, nationality and age group. More than 500 inhabitants attended this event.

SITE SELECTIONAssessment of the AreaThe area was surveyed for selection of the most suitable site in physical, social and administrative terms, culminating with two potential areas. The first alternative was a communal space within a residential blocks enclosure, open to al-`Arba’een main street, the second alternative was a free corner plot in the ser-vices area of Masakin Othman, which is still in development.

The final chosen site was the second alternative, reasoned by the consultant through a detailed analysis and based on local community concerns, proving to be more physically accessible to all residents of Masaken Othman, less likely to be taken over by forced ownership (due to its more public location), and having the advantage of shared benefits with the current con-struction of a neighboring school, where the main target users (the children) will be present regularly.

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DESIGNPARTICIPATORY DESIGN SESSIONS

PRELIMINARY DESIGN

PLAY ELEMENTS DESIGN

FEEDBACK SESSIONS

FINAL DESIGN

DESIGN

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PARTICIPATORY DESIGNSESSIONSThe participatory design sessions aimed to engage the com-munity through contributing in the design process, not only to ensure that all their needs would be addressed, but also to help them achieve a sense of ownership towards the space.

Two participatory design sessions were conducted, one with children and the other with women. The children’s session had more concentration on designing playing elements, while the women’s session was focusing more on designing green, quiet and comfortable seating areas.

Children’s Participatory Design Session Participants: 16 Syrian and 12 Egyptian children including boys and girls

The children were first introduced to the project, and shown some sample pictures for playing elements through a slide-show, during which they were asked to express their opinions and impressions about these photos.

They were then divided into two separate groups of boys and girls. Each group was asked to do two things: first, to draw on paper their ideas for the playing elements that they would like to have in the playground. Next, they were asked to create miniature versions of themselves using simple materials for modeling their favorite playing elements to be placed in the physical model of the open space. As expected, there were differences in the outcomes due to gender and age differences. The outcomes are shown briefly in the following tables:

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BOYS

GIRLS

Elements they liked most in slide show

Children Drawings

Play elements Models

Colored stairs Airplane House-like structure

Walls (Hide and seek/war-like)

Waiting area for moth-ers-Seats

Weight lifting

Blocks on top of each oth-er (climb then jump)

Slides Climbing wall

The tunnel (going in then out)

Greenery and flowers Sliding platform on a water surface- or on a sloped ground with a seatbelt

Seating space for mothers Circus Climbing wall, a slide falling into water

Climbing wall Trampoline

Role play (horseback riding)

Elements they liked most in slide show

Children Drawings

Play elements Models

The red maze Trees Circular area

The hanging chain swing Green areas High columns

Swings Shading elements Swing

Slides Slide Slide

Toss (turning upside down)

Swing Chair for mothers

The seesaw Seesaw Trees

Circular walking game Swing with chain

Swing with chain Turning cups

Walking on the edge Shade

Chair for mothers

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Women’s Participatory Design Session:Participants: 8 Syrian and 5 Egyptian women

The session started by an introduction to the project, followed by showing the women some sample pictures for open spaces and recreational areas, during which they were asked to ex-press their opinions and impressions about these photos. They were also shown samples from the outcomes of the children’s workshop.

This was followed by an open discussion to propose ideas re-garding the design features of Geneina. Most women concurred that there is a need for trees and greenery, shade, seating areas, lighting fixtures and a space for other activities such as conducting community cultural events or art workshops. After that they created models for these design features using clay, plasticine and other materials.

After the completion of this exercise, they were asked to por-tray their opinions on the expected problems or threats to the project, and how to overcome it. The main points that came out of the discussion were as follows:

Threats Suggested solutions

Men or teenagers en-tering the space and harassing women

Placing playing elements for young children and toddlers will make the place less interesting for men.Surrounding the space with a fence and gate for entrance.Putting a sign on the space that it’s a “families only” space.

Conflicts or fights between children

Making several copies of each playing element.Making multiple options for seating areas.

Lack of lightingMaking sure that the space facilities are connected to an operating public electricity network.

People throwing garbage from their balconies in the space

Cover the space or build slanted sheds around the periph-eries.

The safety of some playing elements (such as high climb-ing walls)

Considering safety as a main aspect in the design of play-ing elements.

PRELIMINARY DESIGN

In terms of the general concept, t he preliminary design pro-posed the community garden ‘Geneina’ to be a component of a wider complex incorporating a football field targeting youth as well. This was inspired by the comments of the residents when asked about their perception of a public space; the majority preferred offering a separate space for women and children for privacy and social concerns, and also to avoid men over-taking the space. The community garden “Geneina” and the football field were proposed to be separated and at the same time linked by a two sided buffer line, composed of several steps on both sides. These steps would function as viewing bleachers for the football field on one hand and on the other side as seating steps throughout the garden, audience seats at the stage zone, and as playing steps for slides in the playing zones.

The governing concept for the design of the community garden “Geneina” was to have five main spaces; three different playing areas based on children’s age groups and the type of play. In addition, the other two zones provide several seating options, including some group and some individual seats and a mixed use space – providing an area for events and performances. The central pathway flows naturally into these two zones.

The design changed and developed due to several factors, for example, official permits did not allow building the buffer line steps which resulted in eliminating them. However, the core of the design remained; the three play areas, a central space and a mixed-use area. More significant changes were in the type and material of the playing elements, putting into consider-ation introducing low cost, local and less challenging ideas to construct playing elements.

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PLAY ELEMENTS DESIGNThe main aim was to inspire the residents that there are several possible and still affordable options to construct joyful play elements in the already existing public spaces. As a result, painted car tires were used as a main component to create several playing elements not only for the durability and its availability with affordable prices, but also because they are less complicated in construction allowing residents and the children to contribute in the constructions of the play elements which will increase their sense of responsibility and ownership towards the space.

The main inspiration of the play elements came from the chil-dren themselves and what they illustrated in their drawings, clay models and comments on photos of play spaces and ele-ments. On one hand, boys showed more interest in challenging games like climbing walls, jumping platforms and trampolines. On the other hand, girls were interested in swings, see-saws and house-like elements. Slides, swings, greenery and water surfaces were commonly repeated features.

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The design of play elements corresponded accordingly; having three different play areas (challenging, repetitive movement and toddlers zones). The challenging play area included physi-cally challenging elements like climbing walls, maze, slides and a platform to jump off. The repetitive movement play elements contain a group see-saw, swings, balancing bars, tumbling bars and opportunities for group gatherings. Most elements are designed to provide many children at the same time the opportunity to play. The toddlers’ zone is surrounded by a low height wall acting as a separation wall for the sand, as bench-es for mothers’ supervision and to provide the toddlers with a contained safer space away from the older and more active children. The wall also incorporated play elements i.e. house like structure and a bus-like element to host creative play op-tions. It invites the children to play and run around it as well. A platform, wobbly elements and a group gathering structure were designed. After the feedback session with the children, certain elements were reintroduced based on their concerns like having monkey bars and adding more swings. Generally, the playing elements were located based on the required safety zones.

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FEEDBACK SESSIONSTwo feedback sessions were conducted with the community (one with adults and another with children) after the completion of the preliminary design. The project’s design team had already prepared a physical 3D model for Geneina. which helped to briefly explain the design to the community. After that they gave their feedback, recommendations and concerns. Also, in those sessions, management scenarios and ideas for the maintenance of Geneina were dis-cussed with the community. Generally, they were satisfied with the design, but many of their concerns were taken into consideration while developing the final design. The outcome of these sessions can be summarized in the follow-ing table:

Item Adults CommentsChildren Comments

Seating Area

Add:-More trees and green spaces-A water feature e.g.. Fountain-Flowers that do not need maintenance e.g.. Jasmine-Shading devices using colored plastic

Children’s Play Area

Add:-More Swings-Monkey bars for the older children

Proposed playing ele-ments to be added:-Hop-on train ride-Bouncy-house or Tram-poline-More Swings

Stage Area Needs to be biggerThe Stage area lacks green spaces

General Remarks

Add:-More trees and green spaces-Toilet facilities e.g.. Portable toilets-Security Guard and Checkpoint-Cafeteria or Kiosk on site for the children, the profits of which can be put towards the funds for maintaining the garden-Lighting fixtures whether on ground or poles, but poles are more likely to be de-stroyed than fixed ground lighting-Trash cans possibly be hanged on the tree trunks-Drinking water fountains or any source of water

There should be a po-lice officer nearbyChildren should not be admitted without a parent/guardianProvide a nearby Ambu-lance or ClinicProvide a cafeteria or Kiosk on site

Item Adults CommentsChildren Comments

Manage-ment and Mainte-nance

-Entry ticket to control visitors, perhaps 0.5LE per person-Working hours from 07:00a.m to 10:00p.m-Allowed visitors should be children up to 12 years old and their mothers-Two security employees; one for monitoring the play areas and another for controlling entrance to the playground-Someone should be hired to keep the playground clean and a gardener should be hired to look after the garden

Having a ticket for each play element.

Suggested names for the Project

-Toyor Othman-Wardet October-Toyor al-Jannah-Rabi` Othman -Geneint al-Wihda

N.B. Use of ‘Othman’ in the name is not preferred

-Madinit Sha`rawy lel al`ab -Toyor al-Jannah-Al-Gami`a -Al-Ta`awon -Al-Malahy /Malahy Oth-man/ Malahy Sha`rawy-Al-Mal`ab-Madinit al-Zohour/ Madinit al-Hossary-Lazy Land-Lion Land-Hadiqit al-asdiqa’

NextProject

-Beautification of the streets with flowers and trees-On site production of compost from waste-Green spaces in front of the residential areas

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FINALIZING THE DESIGN

A main highlight in finalizing the design was done after con-ducting the digital survey and figuring out the change of levels in the site, and also after the feedback sessions. As a result, the design adapted to those changes. For example, more benches were added and number of trees increased to provide shading. Not only the distribution of trees throughout the site, but also their type were well studied putting into consider-ation having fruit trees and other plantations that provide nice smells with the natural breeze like Jasmine. Regarding the play elements; certain play elements’ design -like swings and mon-key bars- were revisited to increase their number.

The safety zone for each play element was rechecked and some elements were eliminated to provide more space for free movement around the play areas. Furthermore, the detailed design for certain play elements was done to solve some chal-lenges in the construction.

IMPLEMEN-TATIONSITE CONSTRUCTION

GENEINA IN ACTION WORKSHOPS

FINAL PRODUCT

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GENEINA IN ACTION WORKSHOPS

Tires Upcycling Workshop

The workshops aimed to encourage the participation of pro-fessionals and local communities from Egyptians and Syrians - especially children - during the implementation of the project, and to promote alternative and sustainable techniques for construction through using recycled, low-tech, and durable materials. The participants had the chance to contribute in the realization of Geneina project which will serve the community of Masaken Othman. Two workshops took place during the construction phase of Geneina:

1. TIRES UPCYCLING WORKSHOP2. LOW-TECH CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP

Announcements through social media channels about the work-shop details were published to target interested applicants from multidisciplinary backgrounds, young professionals and students. By the end of each workshop, attendance certificates were handed to the participants.

The workshop aimed to teach the participants DIY techniques for constructing outdoor playing elements using tires. The chil-dren of Masaken Othman participated in coloring the tires.

WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES:The workshop took place from 9th to 13th of December 2014. On the first day, the participants were introduced to Geneina project, followed by a lecture about the importance of free play, and designing for play. The other days were all full of construction work on site.

The workshop aimed to accomplish two main components:

Construction of Playing elements in GeneinaDuring the workshop, the participants succeeded to finish 10 playing elements in Geneina. The site was prepared prior to the start of the workshop by making the required excavation and foundations for each element.

Implementation of a Satellite playing Area

The idea of creating another satellite playing area was to involve the children in choosing another location(s) where they usually play, and the participants would design and construct some simple playing elements in those areas. The guidelines given to the participants for creating such elements was to be multi-usable, simple and fast in construction objects and fit into one of the in-between spaces. During the workshop the children took some of the participants to a tour in the area. At the beginning, the participants have identified around 5 spots for the satellites. The final spot chosen combines the following potentials: safety, having a slope that provides a challenging concept, and the most importance is the acceptance of the neighbors surrounding the space. The design was to construct a set of 5 elements as shown.

Creating such a satellite area during the workshop had several objectives, one of them was to involve the participants with the children in designing quick and easy free playing elements, and to experiment the children’s interaction as well as the neighbor’s response towards this initiative. This can also be an example and a base for creating more small free playing spots for children.

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Low-Tech Construction WorkshopThis workshop aimed to teach the participants the use of low-tech and durable materials. The participants learned rammed earth construction technique throughout the implementation of one of the playing elements in the space, which is the Maze.The workshop took place from 24th to 27th of December 2014. The technique of construction by rammed earth was explained before starting the site work; and then soil tests were done followed by the construction.

The goal was to build with rammed earth four walls with small openings that create a playing maze for the children in addition to constructing one seating bench. The participants were divided into groups, one group worked on preparing the mixture and the other group worked on the frame-work. During the workshop one and half wall out of four planned walls were constructed as well as one seat. The construction of the remaining walls continued after the workshop using labor. Children from the area were present during the workshop and participated in some activities like preparing the mix and testing the soil. They were happy to see the work happening in Geneina, and the playing elements almost finished, and were excited to feel that they are helping in the implementation together with the participants and the project’s team.

CLOSINGREMARKSOBSERVATIONS

LESSONS LEARNT

OPPORTUNITIES

OBSTACLES

Children’s behavior in play in Masakin Othman is generally more adventurous and risk-bearing than anticipated ac-cording to studies of children from other areas.

Children are happy with the park and playing elements, they are waiting for each new element to try and play with it, also they are waiting and keep asking for the drawing sessions.

Some of the children stole some tires for themselves and they brought it back when they knew that we don’t have enough tires to complete constructing the playing elements for them.

Children follow the system and rules when the team inform them about it, like waiting for their turn to play, etc.

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OBSERVATIONS

Realizing the criticality of the situation of the open site accessibility , cou-pled with lack of constant supervision, results in the theft of on-site materials. It ought to be considered in future project implementations that the gate be constructed early on, or a temporary gate be installed for the duration of the implementation period. Construction processes could also be arranged such that overnight tasks are shifted into the daytime period when the site engineer and/or workers are present.

Lack of community facilitator existence affect negatively the implementation management and distracted the team efforts.

Joint ventures with surrounding univer-sities and academic program potentials for research conduction and project simulations in Masakin Othman.

Children helped in the park construction, and they love to work even to clean the park, irrigating trees, help during all the construction activities and this should be continued even after the opening involve them in maintenance activities, etc. Children in the area are listening and ready to learn on different levels, more educational and awareness programs should be involved in the area working closely with children.

The park could be a venue for art, cul-ture, and educational activities not only a place for play .

Possible future projects like Football pitch, and Community School, etc.

LESSONSLEARNT

OPPORTUNITIES

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*Youth and Adults could enter the park after opening.

*The delay of Management plan might put the park at risk after opening be-cause no one will take care of the park especially the trees and plants.

* Insufficient water and electricity resource.

*Continuous stealing for tools and mate-rials from the site.

OBSTACLES

‘Geneina’ is the new open space located in Masaken Othman area, provid-ing a recreational communal node for children and women residing in the area. The area allows the children, of all ages and nationali-ties, to actively play. The space is created as an interactive atmosphere with a diversity of play elements that are designed and based on participatory design workshops conducted with the children and parents. It is a place for the children that they can call their own, where they can play freely and enjoy the simplest rights of their childhood.

Geneina also targets to provide a platform for mothers - and women in general - to interact openly and safely. Seating areas while they are monitoring their children playing.

Creating such a safe outdoor ‘Meet and Play’ area, serving as a functional public open space, is highly needed as expressed by the inhabi-tants of Masaken Othman; to benefit the entire community, increasing the level of integration and mutual acceptance between the locals and the Syrian refugees.