In urban areas where increased density has caused loss of urban open space (UOS), there is a need for high-quality parks that are inclusive and fit for multiple user groups. To make parks more inclusive, UOS management may need to consider multifunction and the perspectives of various age groups in future development and maintenance activities. Walking interviews were conducted in a park in central Landskrona, Sweden, with children, adolescents, and elderly users, and also with the head park manager of the city. The results revealed different perspectives among the three age groups of users concerning affordances and UOS management. The manager described user-oriented management to support multifunction and inclusion, including user participation. All user groups studied showed an appreciation of liveliness, contact with nature, social places for their own age group, clean and safe parks, and a variety of different atmospheres and activities in the park. Social multifunction can be developed in programmed or non-programmed ways, but some functions interfere with each other. UOS managers can develop parks to suit different age groups, promote user participation within management, and develop social multifunction to create inclusive parks for various age groups.

The socio-physical qualities of built environments are, in several ways, of imperative importance for children growing up. The Child-Friendly Cities initiative by UNICEF, an implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, has made local governments strive toward child-friendliness. The participation of children and young people is often the focus of such projects, with a potential for a far broader scope. Besides participation processes, what important socio-physical qualities make environments child-friendly, and how can they be developed? This paper presents a structured literature review of the concept of child-friendly environments, in order to address the full socio-physical spectrum. The results focus on concrete factors that have been filtered through child-friendliness and the associated frameworks, showing an inherent dependence between the social context and the physical environment. The shaping of child-friendliness hinges on the realization of environments that are safe, fair, and with accessible and variable green and open spaces. A multi-stakeholder endeavor including, e.g., planners, designers, and managers requires clearly outlined priorities. This study lays the groundwork for further exploration of how the concept of child-friendly environments can lead to positive changes, also as part of the overall strive toward sustainable development.