Promoting children’s play in Calgary, Alberta: A case study of collective impact and municipal leadership

Abstract

ABSTRACT Play is key to healthy childhood development, yet, there is growing international concern around decreasing opportunities for children to engage in unstructured, outdoor play. While municipalities are well-situated to take a leadership role in developing play-friendly cities, there is a paucity of practice-based examples describing the process. Together with practice partners from The City of Calgary, the Alberta Parks and Recreation Association, and The Government of Alberta Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we used a case study method to explore how The City of Calgary used a collective impact model to promote and support local play opportunities, specifically by initiating the creation of a Calgary Play Charter. We describe the preconditions that supported the initiation of a collective impact process and identify facilitators (e.g., leveraging existing resources) and challenges (e.g., sustaining long-term engagement, power differentials) to municipal leadership across the three core phases the collective impact process. The findings demonstrate the impact of a shared leadership approach, and provide direction and key learnings for municipal leaders interested in creating local play opportunities. The findings could also inform policies and practices at the provincial/state or national levels to bolster local efforts that support and promote play.