Outdoor neighborhood environment affordances and children’s perspectives: a framework for low-income neighborhood

Abstract The neighborhood environment plays a crucial role in supporting children’s well-being and holistic development. Yet, in urban contexts where planning is largely adult-centric, access to safe and inclusive spaces remains unequal, particularly for children living in poverty. In Malaysia, residents of Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR), a low-income housing initiative, face spatial constraints and limited access to child-friendly outdoor environments. The children’s voices are often excluded from designing processes, despite their reliance on local environments for daily activity and growth. Therefore, this study explores the needs and preferences of children aged 7 to 12 from three PPR neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur using a multimodal qualitative approach, including focus group discussions and children’s drawings. A total of 23 children participated. Findings led to the development of a child-informed framework with six core pillars: Maintenance, Autonomy, Variety, Inclusivity, Nature, and Sensory (MAVINS), which reflect children’s priorities for enhancing environmental affordances. The MAVINS framework offers practical guidance for urban planners, housing authorities, and policymakers to design more inclusive neighbourhoods that uphold children’s rights and support their holistic development. This study contributes to the discourse on child-friendly urbanism and highlights directions for future research.