Lara-Hernandez, Jose2025-06-262025-06-262025-06-13Cities and Health, ISSN: 2374-8834 (Print); 2374-8834 (Online), Taylor and Francis Group. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2025.25086632374-88342374-8834http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19380This paper explores how urban segregation impacts children’s ability to en-gage with and temporarily appropriate public spaces, a critical aspect of their spatial, social, and cultural development. Using a post-qualitative in-quiry, we integrate Temporary Appropriation and the Speculative Pluriver-sal Imaginary Research Assemblage Loop (SPIRAL) to examine children’s interactions in Auckland and Venice. While pristine playgrounds in cities like Auckland ensure safety, they isolate children (3-12 years old) from dy-namic urban environments. In contrast, Venice’s integrated spaces foster spontaneous play. We propose design interventions that balance safety and exploration, contributing to regenerative urbanism and equitable public spaces. The study concludes with open-ended questions to inspire future research.© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/3301 Architecture3304 Urban and regional planning4206 Public healthJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1080/23748834.2025.2508663