Children form a bulk of the Canadian population, but have no control over the economic purse that decides their future. The "action-radii" of children between the ages of 6 years to 10 years is limited to the surrounding neighbourhood. This is also the age of physical exercise, emotional, social and full personality development in which play constitutes an important education tool. Over the years, the urgent need to create high-density housing led to subsidized housing projects. During this process, providing an ideal environment in which to raise children has been overlooked. So, what do the children do? Where do they play? The objective of this study is to decipher the functional and safe outdoor areas preferred by children living in high-density housing in Montreal. This led to the evaluation of various mini-parks in the neighbourhood of the Plateau Mont-Royal with respect to their design elements and the play patterns of the children. The identification of positively and negatively perceived play areas demonstrates the child's point of view. This research investigates the relationship between the child, the open spaces and the surrounding built environment in an effort to create an awareness of the need to design a more responsive, cooperative and sympathetic environment for children in urban settings.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Oct. 10, 2006). PDF text: xiii, 13-124 p. : ill. ; 4.95Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3213468. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm, microfiche and paper format.

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Fifteen three-, four-, and five-year olds were assessed for the amount of time they spent on, off, under, and touching play equipment in an environment with play events and one without (i.e. the platform condition), An ABAB experimental design was used. Treatments lasted 3 days a week for 4 consecutive weeks, with each age group being videotaped 20 minutes each day, Data collected from the videotapes was applied to a 3 x 4 (age x treatments) ANOVA and revealed at the . 05 level (a) significantly more on and touching in the play event conditions; (b) significantly greater off and under in the platform (non play event) conditions; (c) a significant increase in off behavior from the first to second play event condition; (d) three-year-olds spent more time under and touching, and significantly less time on; and (e) significant interactions for on and under which seemed to be caused by the three-year-olds showing an inordinate amount of under behavior in the second platform condition, These results supported the assumption that play events would cause a significant increase inactive child-equipment interaction.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1981. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-194). / Play is a form of behavior common to all people. A person's propensity to play depends not only on his physiological and emotional state, but also on his surroundings. This thesis investigates environmental qualities condusive to play, and poses some ideas about how designers can provide opportunities for both active and fantasy play in places that we use on a regular basis. The thesis addresses the issue of 'what is play?' by establishing a working definition of play in terms of an individual player and his surroundings. This definition then serves as the basis for evaluating how a number of quite different environments afford play for their users. These observations provide the framework for developing some design parameters which an architect might use in designing places that afford play. The parameters are then applied to a short design exploration of how the main corridor at MIT might be redesigned to better afford play. / by Paul Eric Fallon. / M.Arch.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1930. / Vita. Published also as Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to education, no. 408. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 67-71.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes special report study entitled: Open space in urban fabric. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes special report study entitled: The sense of experiences in Hong Kong. Includes bibliographical references.