The new Ralston Tower Park is officially on its way! O’Dell provided master planning, design development, and construction documentation for this amazing senior playground! We are now happy to provide construction support services. The new park will feature walking paths, game tables, a plaza, a horseshoe pit, fitness equipment, benches, and a drinking fountain. The park will have a senior-focused design but it can be used by any and all residents.

Located in downtown Modesto, conveniently adjacent to a retirement community, this “senior playground” was designed to help seniors maintain physical activity, interact with the outdoors, and be socially engaged with the community. Seniors spend time with, socialize with, and recreate with their families (including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) as well as friends/associates who are closer to their age. The success of any “senior playground” capitalizes on the complexity of these close relationships spanning multiple generations. In essence, “senior playgrounds” must be “intergenerational playgrounds” to realize any level of long-term success. This type of project was the first of its kind in the region and is of great value to the Modesto-area community. In productive intergenerational play, collaborative work between grandparent and child is characterized by the exchange of expertise between adult and child around shared intentions. Expanding on this statement, a truly intergenerational play environment will include diversity in play and a playful atmosphere with opportunities for interaction. These interactions should involve story-telling, exchanging of significant objects, and games.

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Special thanks to the Modesto Bee for highlighting this project. To learn more about how this project will impact the community, read their article here.

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For more information on our landscape architecture services, click here.

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