The Community Design Collaborative (CDC), in partnership with the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC), has selected nine finalists for Play Space, a design competition that challenged designers to create spaces for play at a library, a school, and a recreation center in Philadelphia.

Play Space explored how good design encourages early childhood development and the success of communities on the whole. The two-year initiative is part of CDC’s Infill Philadelphia, a program that uses architecture and design to confront community development challenges in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

“The power of play space in the community and its impact on early childhood development is becoming an issue that is facing all cities in the U.S., and for that matter, around the globe,” Beth Miller, executive director of the Community Design Collaborative, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that teams from around the world chose to tackle our design challenge in Philadelphia, bringing different perspectives but working toward the same goal of improving the quality of life for individuals and families.”

Three teams were selected for each competition location. Those nine teams will be vetted again: once by the community and again by the jury at an exhibition in mid-March. In all, 40 teams from five countries and 11 U.S. states applied to be considered.

Take a look below at the three sites and nine finalists:

Site: Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch Library

Neighborhood Playbook (Philadelphia)
Team Members:
SALT Design Studio (lead), CH2M HILL, the City University of New York, Ian Smith Design Group, It’s All Made Up, Kirk Fromm, design + illustration, PlayHarvest, and SS | Design Details.

Nixon Park (Atlanta)
Team Members:
TSW (lead) and Wesleyan School.

[Pictured at top] Play Structure | Story Structure (Philadelphia)
Team Members:
Ground Reconsidered Landscape Architecture (lead), Designed For Fun, Friends Select School, J R Keller LLC Creative Partnerships, Meliora Environmental Design LLC, and The Parent-Infant Center.

Site: Waterloo Recreation Center

Community Gifts (Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Team Members:
Shift Landscape Architecture (lead) and Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School.

Reclaiming Recreation (Philadelphia, PA)
 Team Members:
Ramla Benaissa Architects (lead), Elwyn, and Maser Consulting P.A.

Waterloo Rebosante (Philadelphia)
Team Members: Roofmeadow and StudioLudo (co-leads) and Space for Childhood.
Site: Haverford Bright Futures

Bright Futures Chutes and Ladders (Philadelphia)
Team Members:
Meliora Environmental Design (lead), Atkin Olshin Schade Architects, International Consultants, The Parent-Infant Center, and Viridian Landscape Studio.

Co-Play at Haverford Bright Futures (Chicago)
Team Members:
Terry Guen Design Associates (lead), CITYPLAY, Philly Art Center, and Roots First.

Embrace Past Present and Future (Beijing, China)
Team Members:
Studio of Instinct Fabrication (lead) and Red Sun Kindergarten.