This chapter addresses the interplay of equity (children with equal rights to adults), inclusion (children and adults as citizens in public space) and agency (children shaping their environment). The Early Childhood Education team at Victoria University, in Melbourne, Australia, uses loose parts, and a Playwork lens, to create environments where children have agency over their play, encouraging them to manipulate their environment with minimal adult interference (McLaren et al., 2023). Drawing on Haraway’s (2016) idea of response-ability, notions of public pedagogy (Charman & Dixon, 2021), and Bourdieu’s habitus (1977), this chapter explores the social and ethical challenges posed by the implementation of such play spaces in public places. It asks whose voices are heard when play spaces are developed, and in what ways children’s play might reshape communities and understandings of children as competent, capable citizens. Drawing on academic and pre-service teacher observations, and documentation, the chapter untangles the complex ethical and social considerations in children’s play in public spaces. By examining the impact of children’s play on the wider community, this work opens the way for richer discussions of shared public space, community, and children in urban environments.