Place(a)r

This research aims to delve into the playful nature of two squares in Madrid downtown, whose life comes to life and defuses within a temporal frame owing to the “game” where surprise and appropriation of the space on the part of the players are main triggers.

Through the understanding of the state of the matter and based on two previous reasonings . John Huizinga's homo ludens and Aldo van Eyck's bet on the game spaces, we propose the analysis of two public spaces near the centre of Madrid with the intention of collecting data for the possible obtention of a new urban index called: playability. To do so, we propose to first analyze 5 characteristics to determine if the action developed is truly a game. Later, three possible characters of the action are proposed: players, those who perform it, spectators, those who watch it, and non-spectators, those who share the space with the game but do not participate. From these analysis, a series of spatial situations are established , these can be used to analyse the playability of the space. The two chosen squares are located in nearby places, but they respond to different typologies . The first analysis of "Plaza dos de mayo" shows how a high level of rationalization and segregation of space does not benefit the appropriation of space by the players. Allocating the game to enclosed areas known as prefabricated playgrounds is an error by the understanding of the fundamental values of the game. On the other hand, the second analysis of the riverside architect's gardens, or commonly known as the Court Square, reflects a rationalization of the spaces without their segregation, where the values of the game emerge together with appropriation and surprise as models that produce the space. Playing must be a right to be protected in cities, and the inclusion of playability in spaces should be equally important as other design concepts in future urban approaches.