Refugee children’s access to play in meso-environments: A novel approach using space syntax and GIS
Study employs new approach for assessing playspace accessibility from refugee children’s perspectives
Refugee housing facilities rarely offer adequate indoor or outdoor spaces to support children’s play, therefore it is important that children residing in these facilities have access to nearby quality playspaces. Prior research has established that neighborhood playspaces, including parks, playgrounds and informal playspaces, support positive social outcomes for refugee children. However, little is known about the accessibility of playspaces from the perspectives of refugee children. Given the rising number of refugee and asylum-seeking families, it is imperative to better understand their opportunities for neighborhood play. This pilot study investigated refugee children’s opportunities for play in their neighborhood areas, or meso-environments, using newly emerging space syntax methods (the theory that analyses the layout of space in buildings and cities) to assess playspace accessibility.
The neighborhood characteristics of six refugee accommodation sites in Berlin, Germany were examined. The sites were purposefully selected based on the availability of GIS data and the number of child residents (age 6-12 years). For each site, active space for refugee children’s play was measured through a multi-step assessment, which included: (1) GIS data using OpenStreetMap to define formal (parks, playgrounds, and sports facilities) and informal (open grassland and greenspace) playspaces; (2) analysis of walking paths to potential playspaces at distances reflecting children’s (500 meters) and parental perceptions (500–1000 meters); (3) surveys completed by refugee facility staff and site visits; and (4) neighborhood playspace accessibility using space syntax as a spatial measurement tool to assess opportunities for play based on configurations of playspaces and children’s ability to access them.
Findings for the six study sites revealed wide variation in playspace accessibility, indicating that playspaces for refugee children are unequally distributed. A range of playspace indicators were quantified and compared across sites. The main indicators focused on potential playspaces, accessible playspaces, and active playspaces. Potential playspaces refer to the number of parks, playgrounds, and sport facilities, as well as the number of informal grassland and greenspace playspaces located within the refugee site meso-environment. Based on the GIS map, the sites’ potential playspaces ranged from 17 to 74. However, the number of accessible playspaces was greatly reduced when considered at children’s and parents’ perceived neighborhood distances of 500 meters and 500-1000 meters, respectively. At children’s perceived distance, some sites had no accessible playspaces, while others had multiple parks and playgrounds. Active playspaces were measured as accessible playspaces located on road segments with high or medium accessibility. When these factors were incorporated into analysis, the number of easily accessible playspaces for refugee children was further reduced. Again, wide variation existed between the sites with the number of total active playspaces ranging from 0 to 23.
Results indicate that some refugee accommodation sites have very limited access to active playspaces. Additionally, the study demonstrates the potential of space syntax as a new approach for developing an understanding of refugee children’s opportunities for play, which may be used on a larger scale and in other cities. This method may be helpful for urban planners aiming to identify and evaluate playspaces from the perspectives of refugee children. The study also outlines specific research topics regarding refugee children’s play that may be investigated by future studies.
Citation
Chen, S., Knöll, M., (2023). Refugee children’s access to play in meso-environments: A novel approach using space syntax and GIS. Buildings, 13(111)
