This research provides an innovative design criteria by taking existing concepts regarding biophilic design and further applying them to the creation of contemporary urban playgrounds. Derived from the biophilia hypothesis, biophIlic design aims to provide humans with a positive   contact  with  nature  in  a  built  environment. 
Studies demonstrate children’s preferences for spaces to play, which reinforces the idea that children like to play in natural environments.

The overview of playground design reveals that safety concerns became the predominant design guidelines, and, as a result, playgrounds today do not wholly support children’s overall development as they were once envisioned. Biophilic design is then proposed as a hybrid approach and an alternative guideline to be applied to the design of urban playgrounds, as it will have greater benefit for overall childhood development and well being. Based on the analysis of children’s preferred spaces in which to play, sixteen biophilic design principles were selected as ideal to be applied to the overall playground site design and specific play elements of the playground.
Due to the relative lack of available natural space in dense urban cities, private or public vacant lots were considered as available, and a dense neighborhood in Honolulu was chosen for the application of this study. The spatial investigations of the biophilic design principles revealed opportunities to apply them to the overall playground site design and specific play elements of the playground.