Aims: Rapid urbanization has sharply reduced children's opportunities for free play, making urban parks one of the few remaining spaces for their physical, cognitive, and social growth. The 6–12 age group, known as middle childhood, needs challenging and group-oriented environments rather than simple play equipment. This study evaluates the effective components of child-friendly parks on children's attendance in Dadgostari and Marzdaran Parks in Tabriz, ranks the influencing components, assesses satisfaction levels, and examines age-related differences in satisfaction. Identifying these components is essential for urban planners and landscape designers seeking to allocate limited resources effectively and to transform existing parks into genuinely child-friendly environments that support children's developmental needs. The findings can guide urban managers in Tabriz and other Iranian cities toward evidence-based planning and prioritize interventions in parks with the greatest deficiencies.
Materials & Methods: This applied survey used a quantitative descriptive-analytical method with library studies and field surveys. The statistical population included children aged 6 to 12 present in the two parks during May–June 2026. Since no official statistics existed, the population was treated as accessible and estimated through field observation during peak hours. Using Cochran's formula and convenience sampling, 400 children, 200 per park, were selected after obtaining written parental consent and verbal child consent. Ethical considerations included confidentiality, voluntary participation, and the right to withdraw. Children aged 9 to 12 completed the questionnaire through direct self-reporting, while children aged 6 to 8 and preschoolers responded with parental help using a five-point facial scale, with the child's view taking priority. The researcher-made questionnaire contained 32 items across five factors: spatial access with 7 items, physical with 6, visual-aesthetic with 5, functional with 7, and safety-security-managerial with 7, all based on a five-point Likert scale. Content validity was confirmed through CVR and CVI by six experts, yielding values above 0.99 and 0.92 respectively. Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha of 0.89. Exploratory factor analysis with KMO of 0.84 and Bartlett's test at p < 0.001 extracted five factors explaining 60.81% of total variance, with all factor loadings above 0.40. The legibility component was redefined as legibility of path and wayfinding inside the park and loaded at 0.62 on the spatial access factor. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 through descriptive and inferential statistics including independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey, and Friedman tests. Descriptive statistics covered means, standard deviations, and frequency distributions, while inferential statistics examined differences between parks and age subgroups.
Findings: Proximity of park to residence with 4.42, number of entrances with 4.15, and spatial dimensions with 4.05 had the highest means, while cafeteria and shop with 2.71, water paths and fountains with 2.75, and easy access to restrooms with 2.82 had the lowest. Dadgostari Park outperformed Marzdaran Park in most components. The most critical differences were in easy access to restrooms with 77.5% favorable responses in Dadgostari versus 2.5% in Marzdaran, water cooler and drinking fountain with 60.5% versus 4.5%, water paths and fountains with 89% versus 90% low responses, suitable space for sand play with 76% versus 2%, tall lighting tower with 68.5% versus 5.5%, and security control and surveillance with 61.5% versus 13.5%. Overall satisfaction in Dadgostari with 3.85 was significantly higher than Marzdaran with 3.10, with t of 10.56 and p < 0.001. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference between children aged 6 to 8 with 3.75 and children aged 9 to 12 with 3.48, with F of 4.86 and p of 0.03. Of the 32 components, 19 showed significant differences at the 0.05 level, with 9 significant at 0.01 and 10 at 0.05.
Conclusion: Despite both parks being designed for children under 12, significant differences exist in component quality, satisfaction, and attendance. Spatial access and physical proportion were the most determining factors. Cafeteria, water features, and restroom access ranked lowest, revealing a pervasive weakness in welfare and health services. Dadgostari Park showed better conditions in restrooms, drinking fountains, lighting, fencing, and security surveillance. Marzdaran Park faces serious deficiencies in primary infrastructure that endanger children's safety. The findings align with prior studies in Amol regarding the importance of service access, while differing from studies in Bushehr and Isfahan that prioritized vitality and healthy environment, indicating that priorities vary by urban context. Recommendations include improving health and welfare infrastructure, enhancing safety and security, improving visual quality, and increasing play equipment diversity, along with children's direct participation in design and management through creative methods such as drawing, storytelling, and ideation workshops. These measures, if implemented systematically, can significantly enhance the quality of life for children in urban green spaces and contribute to the broader goal of creating child-friendly cities in Iran and beyond.