DOI: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20261202.13 ISSN: 2472-1131

Assessing Child-friendliness of Open Play Areas in Dhaka's Private Apartment Complexes

Jasmin Begum, Humayra Morshed, Ayasha Siddiqua
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In the rapidly urbanizing city of Dhaka, the availability of open play spaces within private apartment complexes represents a critical yet systematically overlooked dimension of urban residential planning. With the rapid expansion of urban infrastructure and increasing land scarcity, unstructured outdoor play opportunities for children have significantly diminished. Bangladesh's National Children's Policy (BNCP) explicitly recognizes play as a fundamental right of children, stipulating that all environments inhabited by children should meet child-friendly standards. Existing regulations under Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) 2020 and Dhaka Imarat Nirman Bidhimala (DINB) 2008 mandate that private apartment complexes constructed on a minimum of 20 katha of land must allocate designated portions for children's open play areas. However, despite these regulatory frameworks, the degree to which these play areas satisfy child-friendly criteria remains largely unexplored, and the perspectives of primary users—parents and children—are seldom integrated into planning and evaluation processes. This study critically assesses the current state of children's open play spaces across three private apartment complexes in three distinct residential areas of Dhaka city. Employing a mixed-method approach, the research combines structured questionnaires administered to parents, focus group discussions with children, and a checklist-based physical assessment aligned with established child-friendly criteria. Furthermore, this study examines the degree of compliance with existing regulations governing children’s play spaces in apartment complexes. Findings reveal systemic deficiencies across physical, environmental, cognitive, and social parameters—including inadequate safety measures, restricted accessibility, poor hygiene management, and insufficient play equipment. No complex fully complied with the minimum regulatory requirement of allocating 10% of total land area to children's play space. These findings offer crucial insights into existing gaps in play area provision and inform the design of more effective strategies for future urban and residential development in Dhaka.

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