TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring adults’ passive experience of playing children in cities:

T2 - Case study of an urban public space with open and integrated settings in Copenhagen, Denmark

AU - Ding, Peng

AU - Almahmood, Mohammed

AU - Carstensen, Trine Agervig

AU - Jørgensen, Gertrud

N1 - Keywords: Research for urban design; Sensory attention; Micro-scale of public spaces; On-site questionnaire-based survey; Public life observation; Descriptive study

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - While many public life studies focus on the influence of the physical environment, people’s influence on other people’s public life is less studied, of which children’s influence is rarely studied. People’s passive aspect of public life is a major part of their public life in urban public spaces. Thus, this article explores the influence of playing children on adults’ passive experience.To unfold the relevant knowledge on how people’s public life takes place, this article considers multiple influencing factors and integrated multisensory stimuli to reasonably explain adults’ varying degrees of sensory attention to playing children at the micro-scale of an urban public space with open and integrated settings in Copenhagen, Denmark.An on-site questionnaire-based survey (N =584) was conducted to answer the research question: What factors influence adults’ degree of sensory attention to playing children in an urban public space that encompasses different zones with diverse spatial characteristics? Statistical analysis and descriptive study of the collected data resulted in identifying four influencing factors: spatial characteristics, public life pattern, public life state, and public life usage.This article provides insights for urban designers, planners, and city authorities, preparing knowledge for urban design practices with a comprehensive approach.

AB - While many public life studies focus on the influence of the physical environment, people’s influence on other people’s public life is less studied, of which children’s influence is rarely studied. People’s passive aspect of public life is a major part of their public life in urban public spaces. Thus, this article explores the influence of playing children on adults’ passive experience.To unfold the relevant knowledge on how people’s public life takes place, this article considers multiple influencing factors and integrated multisensory stimuli to reasonably explain adults’ varying degrees of sensory attention to playing children at the micro-scale of an urban public space with open and integrated settings in Copenhagen, Denmark.An on-site questionnaire-based survey (N =584) was conducted to answer the research question: What factors influence adults’ degree of sensory attention to playing children in an urban public space that encompasses different zones with diverse spatial characteristics? Statistical analysis and descriptive study of the collected data resulted in identifying four influencing factors: spatial characteristics, public life pattern, public life state, and public life usage.This article provides insights for urban designers, planners, and city authorities, preparing knowledge for urban design practices with a comprehensive approach.

U2 - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104715

DO - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104715

M3 - Journal article

VL - 145

JO - Cities

JF - Cities

SN - 0264-2751

M1 - 104715

ER -