Children's play areas are one of the core functional areas of a park, and their equipment configuration directly affects children's play experience and developmental needs. Community parks and municipal theme parks differ significantly in their children's play equipment configuration schemes due to differences in service positioning, coverage area, and target audience characteristics. Accurately grasping these differences is crucial to creating suitable, safe, and practical children's play scenarios that support children's physical and mental development through play.

Differences in service positioning and target audience characteristics determine the core direction of equipment configuration. Community parks primarily serve residents within a 3-kilometer radius, with a predominantly resident child population spanning a wide age range (2-12 years old). Their play needs lean towards daily, high-frequency leisure and entertainment, and parents are more concerned with the safety, accessibility, and convenience of the equipment. Municipal theme parks, on the other hand, cater to citywide visitors, with a high population mobility, primarily for family outings and parent-child educational activities. Their core needs are immersive themes, unique experiences, and educational interactivity. Equipment must align with the overall theme of the park, while also offering visual appeal and photo opportunities.

Community Parks: Focusing on "accessibility and safety," while also considering all age groups. The configuration plan must prioritize the safety of young children, selecting basic play equipment with rounded corners, non-slip and wear-resistant design, such as combination slides, swings, sandpits, and balance beams suitable for children aged 2-6. The height of the equipment should be controlled within 1.5 meters, and the ground should be covered with an EPDM rubber or artificial turf cushioning layer. Simultaneously, the needs of school-aged children should be considered, adding simple interactive equipment such as small climbing nets, fun seesaws, and parent-child interactive turntables to meet their daily play and social needs. The equipment layout should adopt an open design, close to the parent rest area for easy parental supervision, and the number of equipment should be commensurate with the size of the resident children in the community to avoid overcrowding during peak hours.

Municipal Theme Parks: With "theme integration" as the core, the focus is on enhancing experience and education. Equipment configuration must be deeply integrated with the park's theme. For example, a nature-themed park could include simulated tree hole climbing structures, stream exploration devices, and insect observation platforms; a science-themed park could include interactive light and shadow slides, programming block playgrounds, and VR science popularization equipment. The equipment types tend to be larger and more immersive, such as themed climbing castles, high-altitude zip lines (requiring professional safety measures), and simulated play areas, satisfying children's desire for exploration and novelty. Simultaneously, science education elements need to be integrated, conveying knowledge through equipment signage and interactive games, balancing entertainment and educational significance. Furthermore, the equipment must be designed to handle high volumes of traffic, using high-strength, easy-to-maintain materials, and equipped with comprehensive signage and rest facilities.

Other differences in configuration: detailed design and supporting services. Community park equipment uses soft, low-saturation colors to avoid visual stimulation and includes convenient facilities such as simple storage racks and drinking fountains. Municipal theme park equipment features brighter and more vibrant colors to match the theme atmosphere, and can be combined with themed sculptures and lighting effects to enhance immersion. It also includes comprehensive service facilities such as mother-and-baby rooms, children's restrooms, and food and beverage areas. In terms of safety, both must comply with GB/T 39222-2020 standards, but municipal theme parks, due to the higher complexity of their equipment, require additional professional safety personnel and monitoring systems.

The configuration of children's play equipment in community parks and municipal theme parks is essentially a precise response to different service needs. Community parks prioritize "daily accessibility," meeting the high-frequency need for safe play; municipal theme parks emphasize "themed experiences," creating differentiated cultural and tourism scenarios. Understanding these core differences is crucial to ensuring that play equipment truly meets children's needs and enhances the overall value of the park.