Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Thinking Skills and Creativity, cilt.61, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
In recent years, many participatory design projects are conducted with children to develop playgrounds that meet needs and expectations of children. In studies related to playgrounds, while there is an observed desire among children to play with loose parts, no participatory studies regarding the design of loose parts have been found. However, loose parts play have many benefits on cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development of children. In this context, the scientific research project titled "Participatory Design of Loose Parts for Play in Urban Spaces" was carried out in collaboration with Bursa Nilüfer Municipality, Nilüfer City Council, and Bursa Uludağ University in Türkiye. The aim of the article is to discuss a participatory design model in which children and architecture students design loose parts, within the framework of the benefits of co-preparation, co-working, co-design, co-motivation, and co-learning. The method of the study is based on qualitative data collection methods including observation, video, photo recordings, and notes from individual and group interviews and surveys with children and architecture students. As a result, it was observed that the participatory design model enabled children and architecture students to collaboratively develop design ideas for loose parts. It is predicted that the model can be adapted and used in different contexts and design processes.