Image source: Sunderland City Council
Sunderland City Council has opened a ‘smart seaside play park’ in Seaburn.
It said the park, which opened in late October, includes cutting edge interactive play equipment, including the Yalp Sona Arch, and is supported by superfast free public Wi-Fi. The council said this will encourage creativity and collaboration among the children using the park.
Seaburn Park follows the model introduced at Sunderland’s Thompson Park, where an interactive football wall has helped engage residents and visitors in physical activity while blending digital and outdoor play.
Liz St Louis, director of smart cities and enabling services at Sunderland City Council, commented: “Building on the success of the Yalp SUTU wall at Thompson Park, the extension of free public Wi-Fi and smart play equipment to Seaburn Park marks another important milestone in our smart city journey.
“We continue to create dynamic spaces where technology and play come together, providing residents and visitors with innovative, interactive opportunities to engage with their community. Here in Sunderland, we want to set the standard for what a digitally connected, future-ready city can look like.”
Smart city partner
Boldyn Networks, Sunderland’s long term smart city partner, has supported the development through the incorporation of interactive digital play equipment and extension of the city’s free Wi-Fi.
Its director delivery UK and Ireland, Claire Venners, said: “With the extension of free superfast Wi-Fi and the integration of smart play technology at Seaburn Park, we’re helping to create a connected, engaging environment where residents can come together and enjoy modern, tech enabled experiences.”
Sunderland City Council has been of the UK’s leading local authorities in developing smart places, with initiatives such as setting up community digital health hubs, testing the use of 5G autonomous bus shuttles and linking its mobile app to a network of internet of things sensors.
