Recognizing the challenges of social isolation and loneliness among the aging population; research attention is turning to explore the social dimension of urban design and questions of how the built environment can support social interaction. In the rapidly evolving context of transit-based urbanism, urban spaces not only enhance the city’s overall livability but also offer older adults increased accessibility and interaction opportunities beyond their immediate residential neighbourhood, potentially alleviating feelings of social isolation and loneliness.

Our findings revealed that despite the limited play destinations compared to the local child population, children’s outdoor play experiences are predominantly positive. This positive outlook is attributed to their sense of safety within familiar spaces and strong social ties with neighbours beyond their immediate families. Key contributing factors include the proximity of schools and play areas to residential locations, the strategic placement of playgrounds along home-to-school routes, and the hierarchical relationship among neighbourhood open spaces.

In this study, I measured the size of outdoor playgrounds at all daycare centers in Oslo and looked at how these sizes relate to how densely populated the districts are and how many children are enrolled at each center. Since the 1980s, Oslo has been getting busier and more built-up due to a compact city policy, a trend that is likely to continue as more people move to the city in the coming years. This makes it interesting to investigate how living in a denser city and having bigger daycare centers might affect the space children have to play outside in their daycare.