Availability, Accessibility, and Optimization of Children's Spaces in Mass Housing: A Case Study Of Summit Condominiums in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-06-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Children today have significantly less access to outdoor play spaces than previous generations. Moreover, the design of existing spaces often fails to meet the dynamic needs of modern children, resulting in decreased engagement in outdoor activities. This study investigates the availability, accessibility, and usability of children’s play spaces within Summit Condominium, Addis Ababa. It critically examines how the spatial design of mass housing environments influences children’s outdoor play opportunities. As Ethiopia continues implementing mass housing programs to address rapid urbanization, ensuring child-friendly spaces becomes increasingly vital. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates physical site analysis, spatial analysis using Space Syntax methods, systematic observations, questionnaires, and focus group discussions. These methods assess the physical and visual accessibility of outdoor spaces, community perceptions, and actual utilization patterns of children’s play spaces. Findings reveal that although Summit Condominium includes designated open spaces, most are poorly designed or misused, limiting support for children’s independent play. Physical barriers such as parked vehicles, poor connectivity, and safety concerns further restrict access. Additionally, community perceptions prioritize green areas and parking spaces over play areas, often excluding children from available outdoor spaces. The study concludes that current planning practices in Addis Ababa’s mass housing developments inadequately address children’s spatial needs. It recommends integrating child-centered design principles, enhancing community awareness, and enforcing policies that protect children’s rights to play within urban residential environments. The study emphasizes participatory design approaches, advocating for children’s involvement in designing optimized and inclusive play areas. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader understanding of child-friendly urban design and offers scalable recommendations for improving play spaces in mass housing developments.
Key Words: accessibility, availability, mass housing, children’s play space, optimization