| Summary: | Child-friendly spaces are not successfully implemented in South Africa due to
problems such as urbanization, development pressure, lack of qualitative open
spaces and lack of policy and legislation guiding the planning and protection of such
spaces. This study evaluates local and international planning approaches of childfriendly
spaces in an attempt to identify best practices and explore how child-friendly
spaces can be planned and utilized locally, in South Africa, (especially rural areas
such as the Vaalharts district in the North West Province) to develop playful,
educational, environmentally preserving and qualitative child-friendly spaces.The
research methodology used in this study consist of (i) a literature investigation on
concepts of child-friendly environments, qualitative open spaces, rural challenges, as
well as current child-friendly policy and legislation, both from an international and
local perspective; and (ii) an empirical study, conducted qualitatively by means of
Pilot testing and case study evaluation. Local pilot tests were limited, due to a lack of
child-friendly spaces in South Africa to, proposed Valhalla Water Park in Cape Town
and Irene Village Mall in Pretoria. The case study evaluation consists out of Green
Point Urban Park and the Vaalharts Water Innovation Project that is a newly
planned, “still in progress”, project. International case studies included examples of
successful child-friendly spaces such as La Louviere in Belgium, Chapefield play
area and Darnley Park in Scotland, Play Field Farnborough in England, Caronport
Spray Park in Canada and Bellevue Redmond Spray Park in Washington. Based on
the findings, recommendations are made in terms of the planning and development
of child-friendly spaces, incorporating examples such as the provision of spray parks
in rural areas in order to create playful, educational, environmentally preserving and
qualitative outdoor spaces. === MArt et Scien (Urban and Regional Planning), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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