Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark

With a skate park, playground, fitness area and sports fields, The Hague’s urban Zuiderpark seems like a very exercise-friendly park. But despite all of these exercise facilities, vulnerable target groups are not using the park to exercise. The Technology for Inclusive Movement and Sport research group is researching how to set up Zuiderpark as an inclusive and motivating exercise environment.

With a number of facilities and well paved roads, The Hague's urban Zuiderpark is the perfect place to encourage people to exercise. However, its current form is not effective and few locals use the park.

This applies especially to vulnerable target groups, such as the elderly, people with a physical limitation and people with a lower socio-economic status. The project ‘Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark’ aims to set up Zuiderpark as a more inclusive and motivating environment, where vulnerable groups can safely exercise, practice sports and socialise.

Project plan Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark

The project resulted in a plan that answers the following question:

• How can we make Zuiderpark Sports Campus and Zuiderpark a better environment where vulnerable groups can exercise and enjoy organised and unorganised sports activities, socialise, learn about new activities and receive information?

We use the following as input for the project plan:

• examples of best practices;
• results from focus groups with neighbourhood residents, clients/professionals of institutions and organisations in the area, current park visitors and students/lecturers of sports degree programmes or training programmes;
• input from a support session with municipal staff, nearby organisations and institutions that provide care, wellness and education and key figures from the area.

Working together on an Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark

Together with other research groups within the Health Innovation Centre of Expertise and the City of The Hague, Basalt Revalidatie, K-J Projects and the Sports and Exercise Centre of Expertise, the research group is responsible for delivering a joint, solid, realistic and viable project plan for Exercise-friendly Zuiderpark. The project also involves THUAS students.

Duration

This project runs until January 2022.

Contact

Project management: Monique Berger (professor) [email protected]
Project coordination: Helmien Rambaldo (researcher) [email protected] or Melle van Dilgt (researcher) [email protected]