Extended Abstract
Introduction
Children, as a part of human society, shape the future generation of every country, and their interaction with the surrounding environment requires their physical and mental development. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) (2004) launched the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative to create environments that meet the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and economic needs and rights of children. The Child-Friendly City initiative was designed to enable children to live in their preferred places, increase their participation in the city, and ensure their rights are not violated. Preparing urban spaces for children not only enhances their social responsibilities for urban life but also encourages them to respect and contribute to the preservation and maintenance of urban environments and spaces in the future (Ahmadvand et al., 1401: 63). Existing empirical evidence suggests that, despite significant efforts to establish child-friendly cities, few cities in Iran and even globally can claim to have achieved this goal. Given the population growth in the city of Ahvaz and its planning for social-economic and environmental development, concerns have arisen regarding children's well-being, child-friendly spaces, and safer living environments for children in this city. Therefore, examining public spaces to implement child-friendly principles and promote child-friendly development in Ahvaz is essential. Creating positive and healthy environments plays a crucial role in supporting the well-being and development of children in this city. Additionally, analyzing strategies for evaluating and optimizing child-friendly urban spaces in Ahvaz, targeting public services and infrastructure for children, is necessary.
The main objective of this research is to evaluate public urban spaces in the metropolis of Ahvaz based on child-friendly city indicators and to identify key factors influencing the creation of desirable public spaces for children. In this regard, two key questions have been raised: First, what is the status of regions, neighborhoods, and urban spaces in Ahvaz in terms of child-friendly indicators? Second, what are the key factors affecting the creation of child-friendly public spaces in the metropolis of Ahvaz?
 
Methodology
The present research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-analytical in terms of method and nature, and employs both quantitative and qualitative strategies as well as a case study approach. In the research process, mixed quantitative and qualitative methods (pragmatism) were used in the stages of data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results. Quantitative data were collected through secondary data, a researcher-designed questionnaire with open-ended questions, and interviews with experts. The statistical population consisted of experts, specialists, and urban managers in the metropolis of Ahvaz. Using non-probability purposive sampling and theoretical saturation, 30 experts were selected. For data collection, structured questionnaires and interviews were used based on the research models and objectives. To analyze the data and assess the status of regions, neighborhoods, and urban spaces in Ahvaz in terms of child-friendly indicators, Post Hoc tests and Tukey's HSD test were employed. To examine the key factors affecting the creation of child-friendly public spaces in the metropolis of Ahvaz, qualitative analysis was conducted using Grounded Theory with the MAXQDA software. For this purpose, after data collection, the interview content was coded through open, axial, and selective coding, and the key factors influencing child-friendly spaces were identified.
 
Results and Discussion
The status of regions, neighborhoods, and urban spaces in Ahvaz was evaluated based on child-friendly city indicators, categorized into three levels: undesirable, relatively desirable, and desirable. The findings indicate a significant difference in child-friendly indicators across the eight regions of Ahvaz. The analysis revealed the following regarding the status of Ahvaz's regions:
Regions 6, 7, and 8**: These regions were at an undesirable level in terms of child-friendly indicators. They performed poorly in aspects such as safety and security of spaces, children's access to spaces, green and open spaces, play and leisure areas, sustainability and maintenance of spaces, flexibility of spaces, and privacy.
Regions 3 and 5**: These regions were at a moderate level in terms of child-friendly city indicators, with children's access to these indicators being relatively desirable.
Regions 1, 2, and 4**: These regions were in a better condition compared to other regions in Ahvaz regarding child-friendly city indicators. They performed desirably in terms of safety and security of spaces, children's access to spaces, green and open spaces, play and leisure areas, sustainability and maintenance of spaces, flexibility of spaces, and privacy.
Table (2) presents the status of regions, neighborhoods, and urban spaces in Ahvaz based on child-friendly indicators, categorized into undesirable, moderate, and desirable levels.
 
Conclusion
The case study results regarding the key factors influencing the creation of child-friendly public spaces in the metropolis of Ahvaz revealed that the key factors include: safety and security of spaces designated for

 
children, universal access for children to spaces, availability of green and open spaces for children, provision of play and leisure areas for children, children's participation and engagement in the community, sustainability and maintenance of children's spaces, education and cultural awareness in society, flexibility of spaces, and children's privacy. Additionally, smaller-scale factors include safe design, traffic safety, adequate lighting, sense of security, safe equipment and spaces, easy access, location, walkability, connectivity network, suitable green spaces, diversity of green spaces, clean spaces and environments, natural spaces, appropriate play areas, diverse activities, leisure opportunities, family participation, children's engagement with local organizations, sense of public participation, social connectivity, high-quality and sustainable materials, maintenance planning, education for children and families, cultural awareness, knowledge dissemination, multi-purpose spaces, adaptability and development potential, and preservation of privacy and tranquility.
Therefore, to transform Ahvaz into a child-friendly city, in addition to implementing the factors identified in this research, collaboration among the municipality, non-governmental organizations, families, and children themselves is essential. This process requires long-term planning, resource allocation, and active participation of all stakeholders.