From monkey bars to mud puddles, outdoor play is critical for a child’s development—but for many urban kids, their neighbourhoods don’t make it easy.
That’s the focus of recent research led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Emily Gemmell, from the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s School of Population and Public Health. Dr. Gemmell and her collaborators have developed Canada’s first nationwide “playability index” to assess how well neighbourhoods support young children’s outdoor free play.
We spoke with Dr. Gemmell about what makes a city playable, and why planners and policymakers need to start thinking more like kids.
Why is outdoor play so important for young children?
Children don’t really exercise in the way adults do — most of their physical activity is a by-product of play. And that matters, because the link between physical activity and health is strong, even in early childhood. Outdoor environments promote more movement, and they also support development in gross and fine motor skills, social interaction, cognitive and behavioural health. Engaging with different environments helps kids apply their skills in new ways. Nature and outdoor spaces provide the variety they need for that.
What prevents children from playing freely in cities?
Most cities are car-centric, so parents’ worries about traffic play a big role. Concerns about social safety may also make them hesitant to let their kids play outdoors without close supervision. These parental anxieties, combined with time constraints, parenting norms that prioritize adult-directed programs, and availability of screen-based activities contribute to less outdoor play time. When it comes to outdoor play, adults tend to only think about parks and playgrounds, while children view almost any space as potentially playable if they are allowed to engage with it. Unfortunately, many local outdoor spaces may be completely inaccessible for kids on their own.
Why did you create the playability index — and how did you go about it?
Playability refers to how well a neighbourhood supports outdoor free play. Most urban health metrics are based on adult behaviours — things like walkability or proximity to transit. But young children don’t move like adults. They’re not goal-oriented. They get distracted. They play along the way. That’s developmentally appropriate, and our environments should support that.
To create our playability index, we started by reviewing global evidence on what urban features support outdoor play. We looked at studies from 17 countries and found five domains that consistently mattered for outdoor play: traffic, social environment, spaces for play, child-relevant destinations and natural environments. We then developed 15 indicators to measure those domains using Canadian data.
What did you find when you applied the index across Canada?
Average scores didn’t vary much between cities. But within cities, there were stark differences. In some cities, neighbourhoods varied by as much as 77 per cent in their playability scores. We also found that 39 per cent of children lived in areas where at least one key factor, like safe streets or access to nature, scored in the bottom 10 per cent for all neighbourhoods. Even in the same city, kids are growing up with vastly different access to supportive environments.
What’s the takeaway for families and policymakers?
We now have a publicly accessible tool that assesses how well neighbourhoods support outdoor play. The index covers areas where 72 per cent of Canadian children live and shows where the biggest improvements can be made. While individual and family factors also matter, our goal was to highlight what’s within the control of urban planners and policymakers.
People can visit the PlayScore website to see how their neighbourhood scores across different domains. It’s a way to start local conversations, understand the strengths as well as areas for improvement across cities, and help communities advocate for more child-friendly spaces.
A version of this story originally appeared on UBC News.