Biophilic Playspace Design: Bringing Together Children and Nature in Urban Honolulu

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide innovative design criteria for urban playgrounds based on the principles of biophilic design. Derived from the biophilia hypothesis, biophilic design aims to provide humans with a positive contact with nature in a built environment. The biophilia hypothesis asserts that human’s attachment with nature is a biological need, and it was used as a framework to demonstrate the crucial importance of a connection between humans and nature. The relationship between children and nature was explored through empirical studies, which reveal the importance of this connection for children’s health. The analyses of empirical studies demonstrate children’s preferences for spaces to play, which reinforces the idea that children like to play in natural environments. The playground’s design overview was explored and it reveals that the design of many playgrounds today do not support children’s overall development as they once did. Understanding that safety concerns became the primary driver for the design of the majority of contemporary playgrounds within the U.S., biophilic design is proposed as the basis for alternative guidelines to be applied to the design of playgrounds to benefit children. Based on the analysis of children’s preferred spaces in which to play, sixteen biophilic design principles were selected as ideal to be applied to the overall playground site design and specific play elements of the playground. Due to the relative lack of available natural space in dense urban cities, private or public vacant lots were considered as available and a dense neighborhood in Honolulu was chosen for the application of this study. Through critical spatial analysis, vacant—or available—lots were identified as potential sites to apply this design. The spatial investigations of the biophilic design principles revealed opportunities to apply them to the overall playground site design and specific play elements of the playground.