Io esco a giocare (I'm going out to play)
The Right to Play in Condominium Courtyards
Free play is not only a pastime, but a fundamental right for the social, emotional and cognitive development of girls, boys, girls and boys.
The international campaign I'm going out to play, promoted by Francesco Tonucci's The City of Children project, invites us to give back to the little ones and the smallest spaces of autonomy in the real world.
Today, the growth of girls and boys is increasingly conditioned by the early use of electronic devices. Experts warn: virtual isolation can produce significant harm that often only emerges in adolescence. The contrast to this trend involves free play and autonomy: going out, walking and experiencing direct relationships in safe spaces but not overly controlled by adults.
From these reflections, a concrete action was born: the enhancement of condominium courtyards as the first space of freedom “outside the home”.
Precisely as part of the I Go Out to Play campaign, the Consulta Cinnica has chosen to relaunch the information and practice of free play in condominium courtyards: daily, close and accessible spaces, which can once again become places of encounter, autonomy and community. The courtyard is often the first space “outside the home” where boys and girls can safely experience free play, building relationships, social skills, learning and self-confidence.
In this context, the City of Bologna, accepting requests from the territory, amended its Building Regulations in 2021, introducing a specific rule that recognizes and protects the right to free play in these common areas. The goal is to transform courtyards into places of encounter and growth, ensuring security and sociability.
Take part in the survey: the questionnaire
To make this right concrete and take a real picture of the situation in Bologna's apartment buildings, Cinnica invites citizens to fill out a short questionnaire. The results will make it possible to identify the needs of families and promote increasingly effective forms of communication and awareness raising.
Fill out the questionnaire
Building Regulations of the Municipality of Bologna, second part, title III, art. 80, paragraph 4.1 (2021). Play areas in private courtyards
4.1 The City of Bologna recognizes the right of children to play and recreational activities appropriate to their age, thus implementing Article 31 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, approved by the United Nations General Assembly and transposed into Italian law by law no. 176 of 25 May 1991. To this end, in courtyards, as well as in gardens and outdoor areas of private residential buildings, children must be allowed to play, without prejudice to the time slots for the protection of peace and rest, where established by condominium regulations, which cannot exceed two hours during the day. Any contrary shareholders' resolution or provision contained in the condominium regulations does not apply.