| Title |
Types of Children's Play Spaces and Their Route Characteristics in a Residential Neighborhood - Based on Travel Logs and GPS Data of Buk-chon's Elementary School Students in Grades 1-3 - |
| Authors |
Park, Hyun-Jin ; Park, Jin-Hee ; Park, So-Hyun |
| DOI |
http://dx.doi.org/10.5659/JAIK_PD.2016.32.2.191 |
| Keywords |
Children ; Play ; Active Transportation ; Independent Mobility ; Informal Space ; Neighborhood ; GPS ; Buk-chon |
| Abstract |
Over time, children’s outdoor activities and opportunities for children to play, have continually declined. Such problems have led to increased interest in providing better physical environments for children’s active free play in residential neighborhoods. Previous research studies have generally focused on specific places (i.e. playgrounds and schoolyards) or types of buildings (i.e. apartment complexes). The primary goal of this paper is to identify the characteristics of neighborhood environments that are associated with play behavior by analyzing the types of children’s play spaces and their routes. Based on a week’s travel log and GPS data from 25 students who are in grades 1-3 in elementary school, this empirical study of Buk-chon, Seoul, demonstrates that children have used for their recreational use both ‘formal play spaces’, spaces specifically designed for recreational activities, and ‘informal play spaces’, spaces not intentionally designed for recreational activities. The results of analyzing children’s play behaviors and space conditions indicate certain environmental characteristics. Formal spaces include the following: 1) quality parks that are easily accessible, 2) schoolyards and small parks that are spacious yet close to residential areas, and 3) play spaces that are well connected with residential streets. Informal spaces include the following: 1) commercial facilities, bus-stop and alleys surrounding schools, 2) alleys near residences, and 3) streets(and their networks) within neighborhoods. Even without formal spaces, alleys around homes and schools and neighborhood streets have become ‘play routes’ for children in Buk-chon. Further research is needed to compare other residential areas, as well as the different types of buildings that exist in such areas, and identify the challenges between creating outdoor play spaces and maintaining residential neighborhoods’ characteristics. |