Residential Street Design and Play: A Literature Review of Policy, Guidance and Research on Residential Street Design and its Influence on Children's Independent Outdoor Activity

Over the last 40 years, there has been a reduction in children's independent outdoor activity. Research by Lacey (2007) found 71 per cent of adults played out in the street or neighbourhood as children, compared with only 21 per cent of children today.

Meanwhile, the number of cars in the UK has risen from 19 million in 1971 to 36 million in 2015, and the danger of traffic is most often cited as the reason why children's independent outdoor activity has decreased.

Volume and speed of traffic have been shown to impact negatively on community street life, not just due to safety issues but also the pollution and noise.

This review, commissioned by campaign group Playing Out, set out to study the extent to which residential street design can provide an environment that encourages children's outdoor activity.

The nature of outdoor activity

Findings from the research reviewed indicate that the following factors are influential in the popularity and duration of children's play:

Proximity to home

Wheway and Millward (1997) found that roads and pavements close to housing were the most popular locations for play, while a study of children in Wrexham by Barclay and Tawil, (2013) found residential streets were the most valued play space outside the home.

Social contact

Observations and interviews from Wheway & Millward's 1997 study showed that children want to be where they are likely to meet up with their friends, for instance on a front wall or street corner.

Accessibility to play

A study of independent mobility found that friends' homes, shops, and play areas were the most common destinations for children when unsupervised, (Shaw, et al., 2015). The Wrexham research showed that children valued playing in a broad range of places and that safe routes to those places improved opportunities for play (Barclay and Tawil, 2013).

Play opportunities

Children value having access to a variety of spaces in which they can have different types of play experiences (Barclay and Tawil, 2013). It also reduced the potential for community conflict over where play took place.

Traffic

Both traffic speed and volume have been found to affect how streets are used. Those living on a light-trafficked street knew more of their neighbours, felt a greater sense of belonging and were more familiar with its physical features. Biddulph (2011) found the two streets with the highest traffic speeds also had among the lowest levels of observed play, while those streets with low car volume saw the most play.

Residential street design

Research indicates there are a number of street types that appear to facilitate play.

Home Zones

Between 1998 and 2007, around 70 "Home Zones" were created, with the vast majority being the retrofit treatment of an existing street. Physical characteristics of a Home Zone vary, but are generally used to discourage drivers from moving any faster than walking pace.

A study of eight Home Zones schemes based on resident interviews found that retrofit Home Zones dramatically decreased traffic flow and speed, increased children's use of the street for play and also increased adult interaction, creating a sense of community (Gill, 2007).

Biddulph's 2011 study found children stayed significantly longer and were much more likely to play in Home Zone spaces (both new build and retrofit) than standard design streets. Traffic in Home Zones had a slower average speed, and these streets appeared to encourage a diversity of play types and more freedom to roam where they were larger.

Cul-de-sacs

The value of cul-de-sacs for children's play is debated. Wheway and Millward (1997) recorded a high level of play in the cul-de-sacs they observed. Further research by Wheway (2011) in Cardiff showed very similar results - many more children were observed playing in cul-de-sac layouts than in the streets with a grid layout.

However, Biddulph found the cul-de-sacs he observed to have relatively low levels of play, and suggested that children's natural sociability drew them to busier places where they were more likely to meet friends.

Traffic-calmed streets

Wheway and Millward found that traffic calming had a positive influence on the popularity of the street for play. Parents were more likely to assess the street as safe, and therefore permission to play out was increased. Where two inner city terraces were compared, one with traffic calming (including 20mph signs, changes in surface material and humps) and one without, the traffic-calmed street attracted more active street games, though the difference between the numbers of children outdoors was minimal.

Design barriers