Reimagining children’s playgrounds in an aging society: a comparative case study of intergenerational public space transformation

In an aging society, urban public spaces play a role far beyond the provision of leisure — they serve as essential infrastructure supporting the physical and mental health of older adults. Accessibility, safety, and the facilitation of social interaction have been identified as the core design principles for elderly-friendly public spaces (Kim, 2019). Studies of elderly welfare facilities have documented persistent shortcomings in planning standards and professional expertise, with many facilities relying on improvised arrangements rather than systematic design (Ju & Moon, 2015), underscoring the need for new types of public spaces that can compensate for these limitations.

Elderly households exhibit a high degree of dependence on neighborhood-scale public spaces (Heo, 2017), and neighborhood-embedded public spaces are directly linked to residents’ quality of daily life (Lee, 2011). The active senior cohort pursues self-realization and seeks a “third chapter of life” characterized by independence, varied hobbies, and active intergenerational engagement (Lee & Lee, 2008). This profile amplifies demand for open, flexible public spaces within residential neighborhoods that support a wide range of activities beyond the passive use associated with conventional elderly facilities.

Children’s playgrounds in Korea are publicly accessible spaces typically located within residential developments or urban parks, governed by relevant legislation. Despite a nationally significant number of these facilities, declining enrollment in younger age groups has led to steadily falling utilization rates, with many playgrounds falling into disrepair or outright abandonment (Safety Management Support Agency, 2022). Research has highlighted the potential for playgrounds to transcend their role as children-only spaces and function as shared community resources for residents of all ages (Hong, 2011).

International experience offers instructive precedents. A systematic review of place-making strategies for aging populations documents the transformation of children’s playgrounds into senior playgrounds and intergenerational public spaces across multiple countries, identifying Finland’s LAPPSET Senior Park as a flagship example (Loukaitou-Sideris et al., 2014). The value of public spaces as sites of community cohesion across age groups has been extensively documented (CABE Space, 2007), and the principles for creating successful public spaces have been codified in practitioner guides (PPS, 2000).

Comparative case study research enables the identification of both common patterns and context-specific differences across phenomena that emerge under distinct contextual and institutional conditions, and it has been widely employed in urban planning and landscape architecture research to derive policy implications. In particular, the in-depth analysis of a small number of cases is useful for revealing the detailed mechanisms of design and operation, along with the contexts in which they function, in ways that large-scale statistical data often cannot capture. This approach is especially well suited to research on age-friendly public space transformation, where the specific configuration of physical design, operational programming, and governance arrangements within each case carries explanatory weight that aggregate statistics alone cannot convey. Cross-national comparison further allows the contextual conditions underlying successful transformation in one setting to be examined against the institutional and demographic circumstances of another, supporting the cautious derivation of implications for contexts, such as Korea’s, that are undergoing similar demographic transitions.

Following this tradition of comparative case study research, the present study establishes six analytical dimensions — development background, physical configuration, operational programming, target user groups, management structure, and policy support — through which international cases are systematically compared. This multidimensional framework contributes not merely to the presentation of individual cases, but to the structural identification of commonalities and differences across cases and the derivation of implications applicable to the Korean context.

The spatial scope of this study encompasses urban public spaces related to children’s playgrounds and senior spaces across the Republic of Korea. Reflecting the comparative case study approach adopted in this research, the content scope covers four domains: the current status and projected trajectory of the aging society; the utilization characteristics and challenges of domestic children’s playgrounds; international cases of senior playground and children’s playground repurposing; and the proposal of effective utilization strategies for an aging society.

This study selected Finland, Japan (Tokyo), Germany, and Switzerland as the subjects of comparative case analysis. The case selection criteria were as follows: first, countries that experienced population aging earlier than Korea and have accumulated substantial policy and spatial responses over an extended period; second, countries with concrete, documented instances of converting children’s playgrounds or public spaces into senior-friendly or intergenerational models, verifiable through literature or official sources; and third, countries for which sufficient information — from development background through operational structure — is publicly available to support comparative analysis. Finland was selected for offering one of Europe’s most systematized senior playground models through the LAPPSET-disseminated Senior Park, while Japan, sharing an East Asian demographic context similar to Korea’s, offers high comparative value as a country that has implemented related policies roughly two decades earlier. Germany and Switzerland were selected as representative cases of intergenerational public spaces featuring community self-governance models.

Data were collected through three channels. First, a field visit was conducted at the Nursing Prevention Park in Tokyo, Japan, to directly observe its physical configuration and patterns of use. Second, the academic and policy literature — including CABE Space (2007), Loukaitou-Sideris et al. (2014), and PPS (2000) — was reviewed. Third, official sources for each case were consulted, including LAPPSET’s official website (LAPPSET, 2022) and population statistics from the KOSIS National Statistical Portal and e-Regional Indicators.

It should be noted that Lafent (2026), a specialized landscape architecture media outlet, was used in this study solely as a supplementary source for case identification rather than as academic evidence.

Each case was systematically analyzed across six dimensions: (1) development background and rationale, (2) physical configuration (facilities and spatial design), (3) operational programming, (4) target user groups, (5) management structure, and (6) policy support structures. This framework was designed to provide a consistent basis for cross-case comparison beyond simple case description, with the analytical results presented as a comparative table in Chapter 4. In addition, regional aging indicators from KOSIS e-Regional Indicators (2026) were examined alongside domestic playground utilization trends, with the results reported in Section Results.1.

According to the Safety Management Support Agency (2022), a substantial number of children’s play facilities operate nationwide; however, the continued decline in the younger population has resulted in declining utilization and physical deterioration at many facilities. This trend is particularly pronounced in rural areas and small and medium-sized cities undergoing rapid population aging, where declining child populations and constrained management budgets jointly accelerate the deterioration of facility quality. Regional aging index data from the KOSIS e-Regional Indicators show that these areas exhibit levels of population aging above the national average, suggesting a structural mismatch between the demand for children’s playgrounds and the demographic composition of these regions. This evidence provides an empirical basis for pursuing the repurposing of existing facilities in line with changing demographics, rather than their wholesale demolition.

The senior-friendly and intergenerational public space cases of Finland, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland were comparatively analyzed across six dimensions — development background, physical configuration, operational programming, target user groups, management structure, and policy support — with results presented in Table 1.

Finland’s LAPPSET Senior Park integrates strength training equipment, balance training facilities, and cognitive stimulation apparatus to support the physical and cognitive functioning of users aged 65 and above. Developed under municipal leadership with professional exercise coaches in attendance, the park positions senior equipment alongside children’s play structures within the same space, facilitating natural intergenerational contact. The Nursing Prevention Park in Tokyo, Japan, is distinguished by its integrated operation with neighboring medical institutions, featuring fall-prevention tracks, rehabilitation-oriented exercise equipment, and multipurpose rest areas. Intergenerational parks in Germany and Switzerland arrange multipurpose exercise facilities, allotment gardens, rest spaces, and puzzle and chess tables to enable all age groups to use the same space simultaneously, with community self-governance models fostering residents’ active ownership. Core principles for creating elderly-friendly public spaces — accessibility, safety, and support for social interaction — have been synthesized from international cases (Loukaitou-Sideris et al., 2014), while user participation, multipurpose activity support, and community linkage are identified as the critical elements of successful transformation (PPS, 2000). The positive community impact of public spaces is maximized when they are tightly integrated into the everyday lives of residents across age groups (CABE Space, 2007).

The key lessons derived from the international case analysis are as follows. First, remodeling existing playground structures rather than demolishing them — co-locating senior equipment with existing children’s apparatus — proves superior in both cost efficiency and sustainability. Second, physical transformation alone is insufficient; software-side support systems including professional coaching, medical institution linkage, and regular programming are confirmed as the critical determinants of sustained space activation. Third, intergenerational design provides both children and older adults with opportunities for cross-generational contact, contributing to the alleviation of social isolation and the strengthening of community bonds. Fourth, community self-governance models in which residents directly participate in space operation and management are effective in fostering attachment and encouraging sustained use. Evidence that such functional transformation leads to strengthened local identity and improved quality of life has also been documented domestically (Public Design Newsletter, 2021).

Unlike prior approaches centered on surveys or expert interviews, this study provides empirical grounding for the intergenerational transformation of children’s playgrounds by comparing implemented cases from multiple countries with advanced aging demographics within a consistent analytical framework. In particular, the analysis spanning six dimensions — from development background through management structure — addresses the limitations of prior research that often stopped at the level of individual case description, structurally revealing common patterns across cases, such as retrofitting rather than demolition and the importance of programmatic support. However, given the limited number of cases examined, further validation is needed to determine whether these patterns hold consistently across a broader range of countries and regions.

The policy support structures identified in the international cases — Japan’s nursing care insurance-based support and Finland’s national-level provision of senior facilities — offer direct implications for Korea’s policy environment. Current Korean legislation related to children’s playgrounds is focused primarily on safety management, with no separate institutional basis or financing structure established to support intergenerational transformation. The cases of Japan and Finland demonstrate that such transformations can be sustained more stably when linked to existing welfare and health policy frameworks, suggesting that Korea, too, should examine financing approaches that draw on linkages with existing programs such as long-term care insurance or community-integrated care initiatives.

The “retrofit rather than demolish” principle commonly observed across the international cases carries important design implications for Korea’s children’s playground policy. Because many of Korea’s children’s playgrounds occupy constrained sites, a gradual retrofitting approach — converting portions of existing facilities into senior-friendly elements such as fall-prevention flooring, low-intensity exercise equipment, and rest areas — may be a more realistic alternative than adding entirely new facilities. This approach offers advantages not only in cost efficiency but also in naturally encouraging space-sharing between existing users (children and their guardians) and new users (older adults).

This study is subject to limitations inherent to the comparative case study methodology with respect to generalizability. The cases analyzed are limited to Finland, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, and further verification is required to determine whether these cases can be directly applied to Korea’s social and cultural context. In addition, this study is based on data collected through literature, official sources, and field observation, and therefore does not directly capture the perceptions and needs of actual users — older adults and the guardians of children. Future research should verify the applicability of the implications derived here to the Korean context through surveys or interviews with users of domestic children’s playgrounds and nearby residents.