Rethinking loose parts design for urban outdoor spaces through children’s participation

Child-led and open-ended play with loose parts supports children's development. In this context, a research project was developed to propose a participatory model for designing loose parts with children and architecture students. The project involved twenty children aged 7-14 from the Nilüfer City Council Children's Assembly and eight architecture students from Bursa Uludag University. It included participatory design workshops based on a multi-method approach. The unique aspect of this project is its focus on children designing loose parts as an alternative to company-produced play kits, going beyond both natural and manufactured loose parts. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that children are capable of designing loose parts through a participatory process and to identify the characteristics of the loose parts they design, the co-design criteria, and the skills they develop during the process. The method is based on children's descriptions of their designs, which were evaluated through deductive thematic analysis. The results show that children can design loose parts for various play actions and create different types of loose parts for urban outdoor spaces. Furthermore, the participatory design process can reveal various design-related skills and potentials.