Functional analysis of child friendly streets: Case of Kocaeli downtown

With increasing urban density and traffic congestion, cities are becoming progressively unsuitable and unsafe spaces for children. Children are often unable to use urban areas independently or even accompany their parents comfortably. The physical environments children inhabit significantly influence their personality development and behaviors. Urban spaces where children interact play a crucial role in their individuality, socialization, and overall growth. However, with advancing technology and rapid urbanization, the number of playgrounds has decreased, and many are poorly designed and lack safety measures. This has led to children spending less time outdoors, which adversely affects their development. The Child-Friendly City Initiative recognizes the importance of children's development for society and strives to transform streets and avenues into more livable and child-friendly environments. Streets should provide natural, easily accessible play spaces for children. A literature review reveals that existing studies have developed approaches such as guides for making streets more child-friendly, road safety education manuals, Play Streets, traffic calming measures, and safe school access activities. When implemented comprehensively, these efforts can lead to the creation of genuinely child-friendly cities. In this context, the present study aims to assess, from an expert perspective, the suitability of streets where the "child-friendly street" concept has been applied in the Körfez district of Kocaeli province. Expert opinions were gathered to prepare an observation form, which was then used to evaluate the study area. This approach allowed both the assessment of the area's suitability as a child-friendly street and comparison between different streets, resulting in a suitability rating.Based on the findings, recommendations were made to enhance child-friendly streets characterized by safe, organized environments with activity areas and equal accessibility into more effective spaces from a landscape design perspective. . The aim of the study is to evaluate a street in the Körfez district of Kocaeli province based on the criteria of being 'child-friendly,' using observation forms developed in accordance with these criteria.