The Hidden Value of Desire Lines within Outdoor School Environments for Children's Physical Play Activities

Fatemeh Aminpour (University of New South Wales)

The increasing rate of sedentary time among primary school children and the associated health problems show an urgent need to develop sustainable design strategies that increase children’s physical activity. The design of paths within outdoor school environments was found to be strongly correlated with children’s physical activity but little is known about the value of ‘desire lines’ or unofficial paths discovered by children and used in their physical play. This study used three methods to explore the dynamics and influence of the environmental characteristics of 'desire lines' within Australian school grounds. In three public primary schools in Sydney, the research completed sixty behavior mapping sessions, 78 walking tours and 18 focus groups. A total of 138 students, aged 8-10, participated in walking tours and focus groups. Space syntax analysis was also used to indicate the visibility of the 'desire lines' within outdoor school environment. The research shows that children are interested in using the desire lines which have meandering forms, affordances for gymnastics, absorbent ground surfaces, and are clearly separated from the surrounding behavior settings. The findings also show that children’s desire lines are located in spaces where the space syntax analysis reveals less visible connections between several points. Children’s use of desire lines is highly influenced by the organisational rules, and negatively correlated with the degree to which these spaces are visible to school staff. The findings suggest that official paths within outdoor school environments may not offer the best opportunities for a wide range of children’s physical play activities and desire lines are powerful unofficial paths that benefit children’s experience of school grounds. Recommendations for school design and policy are discussed, suggesting how to incorporate the environmental characteristics of desire lines into the design of outdoor school environments.