Urban park design and children’s physical activity levels: an investigation of design characteristics of green areas and playgrounds

Abstract

Abstract Physical activity has a great impact on the development and overall health of children. Urban parks, which generally feature both green areas and playgrounds, offer children a wide range of opportunities to be physically active. However, previous studies have shown that a significant number of children are sedentary during park visits, rather than engaging in vigorous activities. In addition, children’s physical activities in urban parks have not been sufficiently studied in the Egyptian context. Accordingly, the main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the design characteristics of urban parks and children’s physical activity in the Egyptian context. To achieve its objective, the study relied on a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach to investigate six settings in a large urban park east of Cairo, three green areas, and three playgrounds. Methods of data collection included field documentation of the design characteristics of the six settings investigated, structured observations, behavioral mapping, and semi-structured interviews with 16 children. Study results show that the presence of both green areas and playgrounds is important in the design of parks. The study also identifies the design features that need to be considered in the design of parks to promote children’s vigorous activity. These features are the presence of wide-open green spaces, the presence and variety of vegetation, the presence of water bodies, the presence of challenging age-appropriate play equipment in playgrounds, the availability of pathways, the availability of shading, the variety and appropriate use of ground surface materials, and the variety in topography. Findings of the study can help designers and decision-makers in efforts to create urban parks that promote the active play of children.

Keywords

• Urban park design
• Playground design
• Children’s physical activity
• Play behavior
• Affordance theory
• SOPARC Observation Tool