A Swinging Good Time

Playground swings are for kids—or so we thought. It turns out grown-ups love them too. In fact, such urban amenities are a surprisingly popular trend for people of all ages in cities like Boston and Tulsa. So what do you say? Let’s give this idea a big push.

March 20, 2025

Rob Turner,

The Swing Time installation in Boston (Photo by John Horner, courtesy
of Höweler + Yoon Architecture)

The Idea

Last July, Boston’s convention bureau reluctantly removed 20 swings (glowing from LED lights within that changed colors when triggered by motion) that were intended for kids and adults alike. “Our idea was that all ages could use more infrastructure for play and interaction,” says Eric Höweler of Boston’s Höweler + Yoon Architecture, which designed the swings that were erected in 2014. Not only is it remarkable that there were swings for grown-ups outside of a convention center, but the installation, called Swing Time, was only meant to last 18 months. Instead, it lasted 10 years. The swings were just too popular to take down and were only removed last summer after they had become too worn to maintain.

Last year, Bloomberg published a story called, “Swing Sets Aren’t Just for Kids Anymore,” citing new all-ages playscapes in Memphis, Tulsa and Philadelphia. In Philly, research by the city’s Fairmount Park Conservancy uncovered a revealing truth. “Overwhelmingly, across every age group, [community members] said they wanted to swing,” said the nonprofit’s chief projects officer Allison Schapker.

Over the past decade or so, cities around the country have embraced “urban swings” for kids and kidadults alike. With downtown Sacramento still struggling to recover in the wake of the pandemic, a well-placed, well-designed swing set could be a much-needed people magnet. The same could be said of other cities in our region.

The Players

Here’s one idea: Launch a design contest among regional architecture firms to imagine an all-ages outdoor swing set. The Central Valley chapter of The American Institute of Architects could certainly help facilitate that. In Sacramento, the Midtown Association, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership or any urban neighborhood group could serve as organizers.

The Bottom Line

The beauty of urban swings is that the design possibilities are as endless as the materials and artists’ imaginations. Perhaps it’s not surprising that adults love them. After all, who doesn’t want to feel like a kid again? We know we do.