Nature-based play and independent mobility during daily commute for holistic child development: A post-design comparison of school environments

Abstract

This study approaches children's daily home–school journeys not simply as a transportation activity, but as a spatial and experiential process that contributes to their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Rather than considering the commute as a neutral transition between two fixed points, the research conceptualizes it as a meaningful component of children's lived environments, where autonomy, environmental interaction, social exchange, and spontaneous play can occur simultaneously. Within this perspective, the everyday route to school becomes a formative landscape in which children test independence, develop spatial awareness, negotiate risk, build social confidence, and encounter natural elements. In contemporary urban contexts, however, traffic-dominated streets, fragmented pedestrian infrastructures, safety concerns, and limited access to green spaces significantly restrict children's independent mobility and opportunities for nature-based play. These spatial limitations weaken children's engagement with their surroundings, reduce sensory and exploratory experiences, and diminish the developmental potential embedded in everyday movement. The research investigates how child-friendly urban design strategies implemented in school environments and their surrounding neighborhoods can strengthen independent mobility and create opportunities for nature-based play. The conceptual framework of the study is grounded in an interdisciplinary literature review addressing child-friendly cities, the spatial dimensions of play, independent mobility, and holistic child development. Within this framework, development is understood as a multidimensional and relational process shaped by the interaction between physical environments and everyday practices, encompassing cognitive, psychosocial, sociocultural, and learning-related dimensions. Children are therefore positioned not as passive users of space but as active spatial agents whose experiences are structured by accessibility, environmental diversity, and varying degrees of autonomy. Based on this theoretical foundation, a set of key spatial parameters was identified, including proximity, accessibility, walkability, connectivity, safety, playable streets, inclusive and diverse play environments, green infrastructure, and the integration of natural elements into daily routes. These parameters function as analytical tools for examining how spatial qualities influence children's everyday routines and developmental processes. To explore how these parameters operate within different design contexts, three primary schools in Istanbul were selected as case studies. Each school represents a distinct stage within the process of tactical to permanent urban interventions, enabling a comparative assessment of how design stabilization influences everyday spatial experiences. Üsküdar Yavuztürk Primary School represents a transitional phase in which tactical design interventions have begun to inform more permanent spatial transformations. Ataköseoğlu Primary School illustrates a case where tactical strategies have evolved into implemented permanent design solutions. Maltepe Binbaşı Necatibey Primary School, by contrast, reflects a context where tactical interventions have been completed but have not yet progressed toward permanent spatial restructuring. This comparative framework allows for a nuanced understanding of how different intervention stages influence children's mobility patterns, play behaviors, and the continuity of child-oriented spatial strategies over time. The scope of the study extends beyond school grounds to the neighborhood scale, recognizing that children's daily experiences are shaped by continuous mobility corridors rather than isolated locations. Streets, intersections, sidewalks, and nearby green areas are therefore examined as interconnected environments that structure everyday routines and influence perceptions of safety and freedom. Spatial analyses focusing on proximity, accessibility, walkability, and connectivity reveal how children encounter varying degrees of continuity, permeability, and environmental richness along their routes. The findings indicate that children's access to green spaces and informal play opportunities is closely linked to the configuration of pedestrian networks and traffic hierarchies. Even relatively short distances may become restrictive when pedestrian infrastructure is discontinuous, when crossings are perceived as unsafe, or when vehicular dominance undermines feelings of security. In this sense, the study highlights the importance of spatial continuity and integrated pedestrian networks in enabling independent mobility. The research also incorporates the perspectives of caregivers, school administrators, designers, and municipal representatives to better understand how these interventions are interpreted, experienced, and institutionalized. Caregivers' responses reveal that perceptions of safety, environmental quality, and traffic control strongly influence decisions regarding children's independent movement. School principals report observable changes in arrival patterns, street occupation, informal gathering, and children's interaction with redesigned spaces. Designers and municipal actors provide insight into the intentions, constraints, implementation challenges, and long-term implications of tactical urbanism practices in school environments. Together, these perspectives demonstrate that spatial quality is not solely determined by physical design but is also socially constructed through governance structures, policy priorities, and everyday negotiations between users and institutions. The findings further demonstrate that spatial parameters operate as interconnected systems rather than isolated elements. Improvements in walkability support safer mobility while simultaneously creating opportunities for spontaneous play, peer interaction, and social learning. The integration of natural elements within circulation routes enhances sensory engagement, environmental awareness, emotional well-being, and cognitive stimulation. Connectivity between residential areas and school environments strengthens autonomy, reinforces spatial confidence, and supports gradual independence. In this way, mobility, play, and environmental interaction function cumulatively and reciprocally, forming a dynamic system that contributes to holistic child development. Conversely, the absence or weakness of one spatial dimension may disrupt this system and limit children's developmental opportunities. Visual comparisons of existing conditions and proposed spatial scenarios further illustrate the transformative potential of design interventions. Strategies such as widening pedestrian pathways, increasing green infrastructure, introducing play-oriented street elements, reorganizing traffic priorities, and activating underutilized edges demonstrate how targeted spatial adjustments can significantly improve children's everyday experiences without requiring large-scale redevelopment. Sectional representations highlight the importance of proportion, visibility, enclosure, and child-scale perception in shaping spatial usability and comfort. These visual analyses translate empirical findings into spatially grounded design reflections. In conclusion, the study argues that child-friendly urban design should extend beyond designated playgrounds and enclosed schoolyards. Everyday urban spaces—including streets, sidewalks, intersections, and neighborhood thresholds—should be recognized as developmental environments that influence children's autonomy and environmental engagement. By reframing the daily commute as a meaningful spatial experience rather than a purely logistical necessity, the research demonstrates how integrating nature-based play and independent mobility into school-centered urban strategies can foster autonomy, environmental connection, and holistic child development. Through its comparative and spatially grounded approach, the study contributes to ongoing discussions on school environments, neighborhood design, and the expansion of child-friendly urbanism from localized interventions toward more integrated and continuous urban networks.