Mixed methods research (MMR) is useful for addressing complex and multidisciplinary urban problems. This article demonstrates an integrated MMR approach with a novel two-phase exploratory sequential design while studying play, play space, and children’s (age 7-15 years) location preference for play in three residential areas in Dhaka. We used directly administered survey and interviews in the first phase to describe play and play space from children’s perspective. Informed by the first, we employed GIS-based spatial and statistical analysis in the second phase to study patterns of children’s location preference for play. Our article contributes to the methodological literature by combining MMR with urban spatial analysis in children’s play environment studies.

This paper explores children’s (aged 7–16) outdoor play in terms of location preference, usage pattern, and accessibility range of play spaces in three neighbourhoods in Dhaka. Data were collected through a survey of children and their respective parents, interviews with children, and observation of play activities in 21 play spaces. Analytical results reveal diverse geographies of children’s outdoor play across gender, age, family income, urban areas, and length of stay. The preferences for outdoor play and intensity of use of the play spaces were significantly lower among girls compared to boys. The frequency of access to play spaces decreased exponentially with the distance between children’s home and play space (exponent of distance-decay = 0.346 per 100 m). Results add evidence to the everyday geographies of children’s outdoor play and inform urban planners in their efforts to create better play environments for and with children in high-density South Asian cities.

Children’s mobility environment is an ignored topic in discussions of sustainable urbanisation in the Global South. This study explores the independent mobility of children from ages 7 to 15 in Dhaka—reportedly the world’s densest urban conglomeration. Surveys and interviews of children (n = 308) and their parents were conducted in eight schools in Dhaka, located in three strategically selected residential areas. Children’s independent mobility (CIM) was then analysed with reference to relevant themes across social profiles of children. The results depict the current state of CIM in Dhaka: 59 per cent of the children experienced a low degree of CIM from school to home. The degree of CIM varied noticeably across study areas, income groups, age and gender groups. The presence of cars in streets was identified as an important barrier for CIM by both children and parents. These results could inform policymakers, transportation planners and urban advocates focussing on creating an inclusive and child-friendly urban environment.

To reduce vulnerabilities brought on by either natural hazards or human-induced activities, nature-based solutions (NbS)—as options for restoring, protecting, sustaining, and raising natural systems—have gained attention. The restoration and maintenance of urban water bodies is one kind of NbS that offers sustainable urban development of areas around water bodies with various benefits of economic growth, social cohesion, and environmental restoration for making the cities more livable. However, proper assessment of the effectiveness of waterfront development projects as NbSs and tools for accomplishing sustainable development goals and fostering urban resilience is necessary. This research investigates the case of waterfront development project of the Norai River and its peripheral areas in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, as an NbS for reducing urban vulnerabilities and meeting sustainable development goals. The study utilized data collection methods such as observation, mapping, interviews, and surveys, along with a sustainable development scoring framework, to determine that the environmental performance was moderate due to a reduction in waterlogging risk. However, the river’s inability to create social spaces, spark social activities, and generate economic activities remains unexplored for enhancing the livability of the area. This research contributes to a user-centric understanding of waterbodies’ importance in cities, enabling future NbS practitioners to make informed decisions for sustainable urban waterfront development.