Innovations in Child-Friendly Walkway Design: A Comparative Study of Urban Parks in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok

The Urban Park walkways design significantly influences children’s access, engagement, and safety in public parks, where design practices usually prioritize physical form over user expe rience. This study addresses the absence of a contextually informed framework for evaluating child-friendly walkway innovations in three urban parks: Sami Abdulrahman Park (Erbil), Azadi Park (Sulaymaniyah), and Azadi Park (Duhok). Using field observations, feature mapping, and interviews, the research evaluates walkways based on accessibility, engagement, and spatial design efficiency. Findings indicate that Erbil presents a multifunctional design, though it lacks tactile cues; Sulaymaniyah offers a natural aesthetic but limited engagement opportunities, and Duhok features smaller-scale innovations with interactive lighting and clear orientation cues. Feedback emphasized the importance of children’s emotional attachment to spaces and ease of navigation. The findings advocate for child-friendly walkways to foster exploration, play, and sensory interactivity, recommending an expanded evaluation framework that reconciles international design principles with local cultural and climatic specifics for future urban park developments.