Abstract
This study deals with the participatory design process of renovating a children's park. The process should proceed with two major elements. Firstly, the children's park should be designed from the perspective of children. Secondly, it should be designed in consideration of the context of the community. This study is divided into two parts. First is the review of theory concerning the meaning and roles of the children's park as a community space, the importance of children's participation in the design and the participatory method of the children. The second is the case study. The site for the case study is Ssial Park in Nowon-Gu, Seoul. The entire process of the case study is with community participation, from identifying the park's problems to the actual construction. At every step, through the participatory programs, the community participates in the decision making. In addition, mutual understanding among participants is pursued through diverse means of communication. The following results of the case study were found. Firstly, diverse participatory programs and the active trial to enable the community to communicate contribute to the sense of ownership and responsibility concerning the park Secondly, the community can negotiate the differences in opinions without needing the help of experts. Of course, there are limits in the case study, such as the fact that the community organization, which is the core of communication and maintenance concerning the park, is not organized through the process of a case study. Another is that more diverse methods, which inform all community members of the participatory process, should have been used.