Hamilton Park in Pomona, California features a culturally Mexican-themed playground structure designed by California-based landscape architecture firm Architerra Design Group for 2-5-year-old and 5-12-year-old children of all abilities, complete with colorful rubberized surfacing to protect from falls. Around the edge, panels display words in both Spanish and English such as "Sonrisa / Smile" or "Semilla / Seed."

The city of Pomona, California recently unveiled Hamilton Park - its first all-abilities playground. The renovated park prioritizes safety enhancements and accessibility, including measures that deter unauthorized use and prevent young children from venturing onto busy streets, all while providing play opportunities for children of all abilities. Ultimately, the city wanted to create an inclusive, welcoming park that serves the needs of all members of the underserved community. California-based landscape architecture firm Architerra Design Group accomplished those desires while also paying homage to the history and culture of the surrounding community. In partnership with civil and electrical engineers, the Landscape Architects provided comprehensive design services for the park, including site planning, community workshops, design development, and the creation of detailed construction documents. Designed with community input, this vibrant space boasts a range of features designed to accommodate children of all abilities, ensuring that they can participate in physical, sensory, and social play experiences.

A bridge connects the two universally accessible play structures with an entry platform. The shade toppers are inspired by traditional Mexican dancer dresses.

Hamilton Park features a thoughtfully designed landscape with distinct play zones for toddlers (2-5 years) and older children (5-12 years), each with age-appropriate, graduated risk play elements. The playground contains inclusive and sensory play equipment set on a colorful, rubberized surface inspired by a vibrant pi??ata color palette. Some key inclusive elements include adaptive swings with cradle-like seats that provide support and enjoyment for children with varying needs, a fully accessible rocking ride for children in wheelchairs, an inclusive whirl play feature that offers a sensory experience for children of all abilities, and finally, animal-themed play structures like a stone horse and jaguar that add a touch of whimsy and encourage imaginative play.

 

The center of the park features a large rain garden with drought-tolerant plantings designed to capture water from a one-inch-per-hour storm. Next to the rain garden is a 22-foot hexagonal picnic shade shelter from ICON Shelter Systems. The park also features a piñata party area with a preset pole and whimsical synthetic surfacing, dual half-court basketball courts, community garden plots, horseshoe pits, and a futsal field (top right corner) with custom-designed goals embedded in synthetic turf and surrounded by natural turf.

By including a radiant theme, the playground celebrates the surrounding community that is primarily Mexican. In alignment with this theme, the tops of the play structures feature depictions of traditional Mexican dancers. Several cultural elements are integrated into the tot-lot, including a pi??ata pole and traditional Mexican animals painted in a style reflective of alebrijes, Mexican folk art fantasy creatures. Other artistic touches add to the park's vibrant aesthetic, like the colorful, soft paving alongside Mayan and Aztec depictions of animals and palm trees.

In the foreground, the design of the accessible glider swing and the dual tower structure with a large slide and roofs are inspired by papel picado, colorful tissue paper cut into intricate patterns and hung as decoration. A skyway hive bridge connects the two towers.

Beyond the playground, the community desired a park that incorporated a range of thoughtful features. Active play areas are complemented by bench seating, while back-to-back basketball half-courts create a dynamic space to hold future artistic murals. A tranquil rain garden - featuring a planter area with landscape boulders, cobble, and crushed stone - provides a calming oasis. An ICON Shelter Systems steel shade structure with stone veneer columns offers respite from the sun, while a low, concrete, serpentine seat wall adorned with stone veneer and capped with landscape boulders creates another potential canvas for artistic expression. The park also includes decomposed granite paths with concrete curb edging, a 42-inch-tall tubular steel barrier fence for safety, and permeable concrete pavers at the restroom and shade structure areas. Amenities include a drinking fountain with a bottle filler and pet bowl, a relocated community library kiosk, picnic tables with BBQ grills, and stabilized, decomposed granite paving along the field's edge. An open, natural turf field with futsal goals encompassed in synthetic turf provides a space for sports enthusiasts, while a mulch layer protects the roots of existing Ash trees. LED light fixtures illuminate the park at night, and a unique pi??ata pole with whimsical rubber surface paving adds a playful touch. Horseshoe pits on decomposed granite paving offer a traditional recreational option. A prefabricated restroom building - oriented towards the tot-lot and angled to minimize obstructed views - provides convenient facilities.

The view from the southern entry to the park showcases permeable pavers, new LED lighting, a small bioretention garden to the left for onsite rainwater capture, and the custom playground structure.

As for sustainability, the design incorporates small community garden beds, a bio-swale to manage stormwater runoff from the tot-lot and paved areas, and a cast-in-place wall panel. Bilingual text panels featuring Spanish and English are integrated into the pathways, enhancing accessibility and cultural awareness. The plant palette emphasizes drought-tolerant and abuse-tolerant species, carefully considering the rain garden and sun-exposure conditions. Wherever possible, recycled materials were incorporated into the design.

Hamilton Park serves as a shining example of inclusive play design, demonstrating how thoughtful planning and creativity can build a welcoming, enjoyable space for children of all ages and abilities.

As seen in LASN magazine, February 2025.