Authors: Dr Veith Kilberth, Laszlo Ziehmann
When it comes to climate change and sports facility development, there is a growing focus on a type of facility that has received little attention to date, i.e. on the skatepark as an urban space for physical exercise and social interaction. Over the past two decades, skateparks have evolved from niche facilities associated with a specific youth culture into established features of public sports and open-space infrastructure. At the same time, skateparks are particularly sensitive to climatic change. The authors Dr Veith Kilberth and Laszlo Ziehmann provide an initial systematic analysis of the climate-related aspects of skateparks and identify key areas for action in planning and construction.
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Skateparks come in a wide variety of forms – from smaller neighbourhood facilities to large-scale regional parks, from street plazas to complex bowl terrains and hybrid layouts. In terms of their intended uses, too, the spectrum ranges from informal leisure activities to facilities capable of hosting international competitions. What the various skatepark projects have in common, however, is their basic structural design. They are predominantly highly sealed open spaces with sculpted concrete surfaces, often situated in exposed locations within the urban environment.
It is precisely these properties that make skateparks particularly vulnerable to climate change. Rising average temperatures, longer heatwaves and more intense heavy rainfall events have a direct impact on materials, surface properties, drainage systems, usability and the quality of the experience. The heat island effect, glare from light-coloured concrete surfaces, thermal stresses in materials and insufficient drainage areas affect not only structural requirements but also usage times, safety considerations and social interaction.
