ART/PLAY/RISK LAB is an interdisciplinary research and creative collaborative investigating public art's role in designing truly intergenerational cities where all ages can thrive. Comprised of artists, academics, architects, engineers, designers, landscape architects, and inclusion advocates, the lab brings together diverse expertise to reimagine public space as dynamic environments for creative expression, physical engagement, and social connection.

We combine scholarly, artistic, and interdisciplinary research to develop collaborative approaches to designing inclusive urban environments that serve children, adolescents, young adults, and broader communities. Our work spans research inquiry, creative practice, applied interventions such as PlayLink Universal, and community engagement through symposia and knowledge exchange. We explore how public art and creative urban culture—including skateboarding, parkour, break dancing, and other emerging practices—can transform overlooked and unwelcoming urban landscapes into spaces of genuine belonging and possibility, particularly for populations historically excluded from or underrepresented in public space use.

Our research examines three interconnected dimensions. Through Art, we investigate how contemporary public artworks and creative practices can activate and enrich urban environments whilst maintaining cultural and conceptual integrity. Through Play, we explore how cities can expand opportunities for meaningful physical, creative, and social engagement across all ages and abilities, challenging the assumption that public space is designed for only certain users. Through Risk, we address complex questions about how people of all ages encounter challenge, develop resilience, and learn to navigate uncertainty in shared urban space, questioning whether current approaches to safety and urban design adequately support human flourishing.

The lab convenes researchers, practitioners, artists, athletes, and communities through symposia such as City Canvas and Play Beyond Playgrounds, seeking to transform how we collectively imagine the role of public space in shaping equitable, creative, and healthy cities for everyone.