Engaging the audience from the start, Rekha Thomas gave a lively talk on Resilient Landscapes for Play at the 4th Future Landscape and Playspaces Summit on 30 April 2026 at Dusit Thani Dubai, UAE.
Speaking of her passion for play as a healthy, lifelong pursuit rather than an activity confined only to childhood, Rekha (Senior Associate Landscape Architect) proposed that play is an intrinsic and inclusive part of human nature that extends beyond the early years and contributes to resilient, high-quality environments. She emphasised that integrating play into design enhances user engagement and is often considered as a key driver of successful, activated developments.
She demonstrated how play needn’t be prescriptive and is often best when it is incidental and spontaneous. Engaging creatively with the landscape, play opportunities can transform spaces into ecosystems supporting social, environmental and cultural resilience as well as offering contrasting experiences and driving wellbeing. Play can take many forms whether via flexible interventions for interpretation through balance, climbing or dance, via threaded narrative and whimsical themes that inspire the imagination, or via inviting lighting interventions and street layouts that encourage exploration. Drawing on Cracknell’s diverse portfolio of vibrant landscapes, Rekha illustrated how play can be seamlessly woven into the fabric of landscapes of all sectors through thoughtful consideration of ecological sensitivity, heat mitigation, biodiversity, water efficiency, and maintenance. She referenced the discovery of the natural world encouraged at Al Ittihad Park where a rocky stream runs through the native greenery; the water features at Hotel Park in Doha that offer multisensory delight where water trickles through rills, splashes on cymbals and pools light up at night with dugong outlines that tell a story of local marine life; the pump tracks and outdoor gyms at Dubai Creek Habour Park that are enjoyed by all abilities thanks to the ease of accessibility and where regional wildlife is celebrated in the themed wayfinding at Tilal al Ghaf residential community in Dubai.
To wrap up, Rekha concluded that collaborative, thoughtful design can transform functional spaces into dynamic, memorable places that foster lasting community connection and identity.