Planning for Play? A Systematic Literature Review.

Area of Science:

• Urban Planning
• Recreation Studies
• Public Health

Background:

• Play offers significant physical and mental health benefits across all age groups.
• Urban spaces, particularly parks, are crucial public venues for recreational activities.
• The role of urban planning in actively facilitating play remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the existing body of scholarly literature on urban planning for play.
• To identify the primary focus areas and geographical scope of current play planning research.
• To highlight gaps in the literature and propose directions for future scholarly inquiry.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic literature review of 3,800 articles from nineteen academic planning journals.
• Selected 126 articles specifically addressing the theme of play within urban planning contexts.
• Analyzed the selected literature to identify trends in focus and geographical representation.

Main Results:

• The literature on planning for play is an emerging academic discourse.
• Research predominantly concentrates on children's play and the physical design of urban environments.
• The majority of studies originate from English-speaking nations, indicating a potential geographical bias.

Conclusions:

• The current body of research on planning for play is limited and narrowly focused.
• There is a need to expand research to include diverse age groups beyond children.
• Future research should explore a wider range of urban spaces and planning strategies to promote play opportunities globally.