Assessing universal design principles application on children playground at Lake Titiwangsa Park, Kuala Lumpur

Purpose Disabled children often face problems when utilising public playgrounds, participating in activities and enjoying the areas due to insufficient equipment and bespoke spaces for their needs. This paper compares the values perceived by children with and without a disability of playgrounds in urban areas, considering user-centred design (UCD) and universal design (UD) principles. Design/methodology/approach This study examined the extent to which the children’s playground in a selected case study, Lake Titiwangsa Park, Kuala Lumpur, has incorporated the UD principle and designed ergonomics in the planning and designing of the play equipment to support children with various abilities with different disabilities ranging in age from 3 to 10. The study conducted site observations, such as facility measurement according to UCD and UD principles and ergonomic assessment with photographic documentation, at Lake Titiwangsa Park playground. Semi-structured interviews with 11 children’s playground design experts involving landscape designers and policymakers were also undertaken. The photographic documentation was analysed descriptively, and semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed. Findings The results of photographic documentation indicated that despite the effort to incorporate the UCD and UD principles, the selected site was unsuccessful in supporting children with physical disabilities due to poor layout, lack of assistive features and limited application of universal design principles with different abilities. The interview results ascertained that this was due to poor knowledge among designers and policymakers of UCD and UD principles and their lack of proper understanding of children with physical disabilities’ needs. Originality/value This paper contributes by raising awareness among designers and policymakers about UCD and UD principles as a way forward to enhance the development of facilities for people with special needs in the future.