Page 138 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Culture & play in Xi’an’s parks: 7Cs evaluation

Table 4. Questionnaire design for experts
Dimension (C) Evaluation factor Question (expert perspective)
Character Design reflects cultural and natural features Does the design of the play space sufficiently represent local cultural and natural
features?
Provides unique visual experiences Do you think the play space design offers children a unique visual experience?
Encourages children’s exploration interest Does the design of the play space help stimulate children’s interest in exploration and
cognitive development?
Context Adapts to microclimate and natural conditions Does the play space design account for microclimatic conditions (e.g., sunlight, wind)
and provide adaptive solutions?
Utilizes surrounding resources Does the play space effectively utilize nearby natural and social resources?
Fits into the community environment Is the design of the play space well-integrated with the surrounding community
environment?
Connectivity Seamless indoor-outdoor connection Does the design of the play space enable seamless indoor-outdoor connectivity?
Supports diverse mobility options Does the play space design offer diverse mobility pathways (e.g., looped and layered
paths) to meet children’s exploration needs?
Promotes children’s interaction Does the layout of the play space enhance social interaction and observational
behavior among children?
Change Meets social and solitary needs Does the play space include diverse areas suitable for children’s solitude and social
activities?
Provides manipulable materials Does the design of the play space provide materials that encourage long-term
engagement and manipulation?
Allows flexible layouts Does the play space allow flexible adjustments to meet different activity needs?
Chance Offers “messy zones” Does the play space include open and flexible areas (e.g., sand pits, mud areas) for
creative use by children?
Encourages spontaneous exploration Does the play space design encourage children’s spontaneous exploration and
cognitive development?
Supports unstructured activities Does the play space provide a sufficient open environment for unstructured play?
Clarity Avoids visual obstacles Does the play space layout avoid visual obstacles (e.g., large equipment blocking
views)?
Provides clear entry and exit points Are the entry and exit points of the play space clearly and safely designed?
Reduces noise interference Is the soundscape of the play space well-designed to reduce noise and improve user
experience?
Challenge Offers multi-level activity facilities Does the play space include challenging facilities suitable for children at various
developmental stages?
Designs progressive challenges Does the play space promote skill development through progressively challenging
designs?
Ensures safety Does the play space balance challenging designs with children’s safety needs?

relevant to the research objectives and assigning open facilities fail to meet your child’s needs?” and “Which
codes to each segment. These codes were then clustered features do you find most engaging for your child?”
based on shared characteristics, forming subthemes Expert interviews emphasized the integration of
and overarching themes that captured similarities and cultural expression with functional design, posing
differences in the evaluation priorities of parents (Table 5) questions such as, “How can the heritage culture be
and experts (Table 6). better reflected in the play spaces?” and “What design
The qualitative method provided supplementary strategies could enhance interactivity and challenge in
insights into the design logic of the play spaces. For each the facilities?”
park, 15 parents and 15 experts were invited to participate Thematic analysis of the transcribed content involved
in the semi-structured interviews. systematically coding and categorizing the data, ensuring
Parent interviews centered on practical aspects of that the findings reflected both distinct and overlapping
facility use, with questions such as, “In what ways do the priorities between the two groups. This approach enriched

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.8296