Evaluating Children’s Traffic Education Parks as Play Based Outdoor Learning Environments

This study aims to evaluate children’s traffic education parks as play-based outdoor learning environments. Within this scope, KRESZ Park / Children’s Traffic Park in Budapest and Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Children’s Traffic Education Park in Türkiye were examined through a comparative case study approach. The research combined field observation, spatial inventory and expert-based evaluation methods. The evaluation framework consisted of eight criteria: traffic education content, play-based learning potential, spatial organization and legibility, appropriateness to child scale, safety, inclusiveness and accessibility, landscape integration, and urban furniture and maintenance quality. Scores obtained from 27 experts were statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Cronbach’s Alpha and Kendall’s W test. The findings indicated that the Budapest case presented a stronger profile in terms of play-based learning, spatial legibility, inclusiveness, landscape integration and furniture quality. The Trabzon case, on the other hand, showed considerable potential in terms of applied traffic education and controlled safety conditions. The results suggest that children’s traffic education parks should not be considered merely as technical spaces for teaching traffic rules. Instead, they should be designed as multifunctional outdoor learning landscapes where children experience urban life, practice different user roles and develop safe mobility skills.