Result

Six features were major influences in the type of urban spaces children are likely to play.

These features are buildings and infrastructure, the presence of people and animals, dominant land usage, lighting conditions, level of crowding, and safety. By identifying the major influences in the type of urban spaces the children will play, these results can be used as a basis for further and more in-depth research.

Buildings and infrastructure Photos that contained more buildings and infrastructure were ranked higher as they allow children to interact with more tools in various activities and exercises such as jumping, sliding, crawling, and swinging. Such infrastructure that can increase the ranking of playability include bike paths, showers, toilets, and parking lots.

The presence of people and animals Photos showing more kids playing and the presence of more animals such as dogs were ultimately chosen more often. More children present on a playground encourages children to enhance and gain more social skills which improve their existing friendships.

Dominant land usage The following order from best to worst was concluded on the ranking of photos based on what the land was used for (parks, environment-friendly playgrounds, landscape with water, places of residence, and finally roads). Parks were ranked number one because parents see them as an environment where their kids will interact with nature and improve their mental health. Green parks were ranked second as they are deemed safer, water landscapes ranked third as they can be dangerous for children. Residential areas and roads were ranked last as they are encroaching on play spaces and were considered unsafe.

Light conditions Urban spaces with more light were seen as more secure where children could clearly locate playing equipment and easily spot dangers. Good light conditions also allow parents to easily monitor the movement of their children and also seem more inviting to children.

Level of crowding Urban spaces that were more crowded and favorite than those that appeared isolated. They also have a higher chance of contacting familiar faces if the place is more crowded and can interact with those they know about their social behaviour.

Safety The urban spaces that seemed safe scored a higher ranking than those that looked dangerous. Those that contained safe playing equipment are conducive to children’s play hence more parents will allow children to play there.

Discussion

An essential part of our project took place selecting our photos. We wanted to make sure that our photos used in this project did not have a misleading visual presentation such as a photo that was overly dominated by a feature such as trees or lack of sunlight. We began by taking a normal distribution of approximately 100 photos from each of the three study areas. Various photos that we took were subjected to various factors that hindered the accurate representation of the parks included in the photos. Inaccurate feature orientation such using horizontal photographs on subjects that had a wider view left out some details that were essential in representing the images. The photos were taken based on various factors that were selected and could affect the choice of engaging in outdoor play such as the number of children in the parks, the number of infrastructure available and the level of safety. This enabled us to take photos that will not be difficult for us to compare making the process faster and easier.

The designing of a ranking algorithm will generate scores for each factor. The determinant factor in the photos taken included the nature of the neighborhood, the available infrastructure and facilities in the parks, and the level of safety of the parks. As an example, we will compare photos taken from different parks where there may be more facilities and a larger playground then the other photo. The generated scores will assist us in determining which factors contribute in making children choose a specific urban space they are more likely to engage in outdoor play.