This research explores how outdoor spaces play a crucial role in providing urban children with opportunities for physical activity and relaxation, together with the supervision of the children’s outdoor activities, particularly in densely populated areas with limited open spaces. Effective design of such spaces is vital for creating functional recreational areas within urban landscapes. Drawing from ecological perceptual psychology’s theory of affordance, this research examines the positive attributes of environmental affordances, specifically in Beijing’s central area. Using a children’s park as a case study, systematic observations are conducted to understand the park’s potential for diverse play opportunities and facilitating social interactions across age groups. However, the results reveal that the children’s park falls short of realizing its affordances fully, restricting available play opportunities. Specific play activities require distinct spatial arrangements influenced by children’s ages. Maternal supervision significantly affects children’s play experiences. The study also highlights grandparent involvement in overseeing children’s outdoor play, revealing differing supervision styles. In conclusion, while fixed play equipment and rubber carpet ground enhance engagement and safety, realizing the complete potential of children’s outdoor play spaces demands more inclusive design. The research underscores the intricate interplay between environmental affordances, adult supervision patterns, and children’s play experiences, paving the way for further exploration of these dynamic relationships, and contribute to build environmentally and socially sustainable urban environments.

The miniaturization of Chinese urban families has led to an increasing trend of “intergenerational parenting” among urban families. However, the influence of different types of caregivers on children’s outdoor activities remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of various accompanying modes used by different caregivers on the outdoor activities of preschool children. The research employed mixed methods, including questionnaires and interviews, and focused on the intergenerational relationship in communities in Shanghai, China. The findings of this research reveal that caregivers from different generations adopt distinct accompanying modes when engaging in children’s outdoor activities. Grandparents tend to prioritize protection, while parents prefer to spend more time playing with their children. These preferences can be attributed to the division of labor within families and the social and physical environment of the communities in urban central areas. By shedding light on the intergenerational dynamics and caregiving approaches, this study provides a unique Chinese perspective on understanding the factors influencing children’s outdoor activities and experiences.

Aiming to document children's daily outdoor play experiences in a rapidly developing urban environment, this research is based on a case study involving children living in the central Shichahai area in Beijing to provide an understanding from the scarce Chinese perspective. Based on the development of the SPIT model, this study proposes the SPAT model and investigates its subject from dimensions of space, people, activities and time. This study employs a qualitative triangulation approach to investigating childhood experience, using data collection methods including interviews, observations and diaries. This data record the children's outdoor play experience and its analysis addresses the lack of knowledge and understanding of childhood play experience in Chinese cities. The factors which have a profound influence on children's play experience in a developing urban contexts are discussed and interpreted in terms of a range of factors which have influenced the transformation of the urban environment, including economic development, policy implications and cultural traditions. Based on the insights from this evidence, this study offers recommendations that the SPAT model provides a mechanism for exploring children and their experiences of outdoor environments in different contexts which has a strong adaptation to various contexts.

在任何地方进行游戏是儿童的天性。以北京中心城区高密度城市环境为例，深入探究儿童如何创造性地使用城市户外公共空间。

从景观—社会学视角，通过半构建访谈、照片访谈和行为观察等方法收集儿童户外活动空间数据。

将儿童使用的多样户外空间分为专属空间和发现空间，以及介于两者之间的灵活空间3种类别。深入探究不同类别的活动空间的特点发现，配置有固定游戏设备的儿童专属游乐场所提供的游戏机会单一，无法满足全龄儿童进行多样户外游戏的需求，但专属空间为儿童提供了最为正式且相对安全的游戏环境；儿童广泛使用的灵活空间，如广场和可进入的绿地，其开放性为更为广泛的年龄群体提供了可供奔跑、跳跃和骑车等高强度活动的机会，但营造公平且友好的共享公共环境是灵活空间面临的挑战；发现空间的设计初衷并非为儿童使用，因此儿童在使用这类空间的过程中普遍存在潜在安全隐患。

针对高密度城市环境中有限的公共空间提出了更加包容且儿童友好的营造方式以及优化设计建议，期望为提升高密度城市公共空间服务效能、实现城市可持续发展提供一定科学参考。