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ChildsPlayAccessibility

  • Nov 12
  • 2 min read
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ChildsPlayAccessibility maps how easily children can reach play spaces, considering barriers and safe walking routes.


Purpose of Tool:

ChildsPlayAccessibility is an open-source Python (and geospatial) workflow for computing a “child’s play accessibility” metric: how easily children can access suitable play spaces (including informal ones like schoolyards and small parks) via the street network, taking into account barriers (busy roads, railways, large natural areas) and co-designed with experts. research.tudelft.nl+2data.4tu.nl+2In the Equal-Life context, this tool directly addresses the built-environment exposure dimension relevant to child development: quantifying how the urban form supports children’s unsupervised mobility and access to play – linking to physical & social exposome, opportunities for outdoor activity, peer interaction and healthy development.


Classification of tool:

Model / analytical geospatial tool (Python library/workflow for children’s access to play-space metrics)


Required skills:

  • Python programming (for the workflow, network analysis)

  • GIS/geospatial analysis (street-network modelling, play-space detection, barrier identification)

  • Familiarity with open data sources (e.g., OSM, demographic grids) and co-design methods with stakeholders. research.tudelft.nl


Required input data:

  • Street-network data (walk‐network) for the study area (e.g., via OpenStreetMap) research.tudelft.nl+1

  • Play-space destination data (playgrounds, schoolyards, small parks) and informal play spaces research.tudelft.nl

  • Barrier layers: busy roads, railways, large natural/green areas that restrict children’s unsupervised mobility. research.tudelft.nl+1

  • Population grid or origin nodes representing children’s residence locations (to assess accessibility)

  • Configurable walking distance/time thresholds appropriate for children’s independent mobility


Output:

  • Geospatial outputs (e.g., shapefiles or geodataframes) showing spatial distribution of children’s accessibility to play-spaces, i.e., number/percentage of children (or children’s residential blocks) able to access play destinations within defined thresholds. data.4tu.nl

  • Accessibility metric values capturing ease of access to play, and spatial equity of access (which areas are underserved)

  • Visual and data-driven evidence bases for urban planners/policy-makers on children’s play-accessibility across neighbourhoods


Relation to other tools:

  • This tool complements other built-environment modelling tools (e.g., network centrality, POI access) by focusing specifically on children’s play-space accessibility and barrier modelling – a niche but highly relevant exposure metric for children.

  • It links to the “physical exposome” dimension in Equal-Life by quantifying a key element of children’s environment: access to play, mobility freedom, and neighbourhood suitability for unsupervised outdoor activity.

  • It also supports the “social exposome” indirectly: children’s ability to access play spaces ties into peer interactions, neighbourhood cohesion, social participation.

  • The outputs of ChildsPlayAccessibility can feed into broader exposure-outcome modelling frameworks (for child development and mental health) by providing spatial indicators of “play-space access” which can be correlated with health, wellbeing, physical activity, and social behaviour.

  • It fits into the Toolbox’s aim of open-source, replicable, scalable methods for assessing environmental exposures — especially those tailored to children and younger populations, which aligns with Equal-Life’s target.

  • The workflow may integrate upstream with other tools that compute network/POI metrics (e.g., from CTnetwork), and feed downstream into dashboards or policy-tools that build on multiple exposures.


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