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Where Have All the Children Gone? Community, Nature and the Child Friendly CityMcAllister, Catherine Anne January 2011 (has links)
Most parents aspire to raise children who are independent, healthy and productive members of society. In this pursuit, parents struggle to balance freedom and safety. Current theory and research suggests that North American society has gone too far in the quest for safety and control, shielding children from necessary experiences. While confined in backyards and schools and spending increasing amounts of time in front of televisions and computers, children fail to build connections with the natural world and the wider community.
In 1991, Canada ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention grants children specific rights, ranging from the right to clean water to the right to be heard on issues that affect them. While Canadian children fare well on many of the requirements, they are rarely consulted on decisions that affect their well-being. Public spaces, beyond schools and playgrounds, are not designed for or with children. Children’s free time is restricted, and outdoor play takes place within confined areas. Children have limited access to natural areas, and are trained to fear and avoid these spaces. These trends are disturbing from physical, social and mental health perspectives, as well as that of long-term environmental sustainability. The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) program, Child Friendly Cities, offers guidelines for improving the way children are addressed at the municipal level.
This research uses the City of Waterloo, Ontario, as a case study to document these issues and offer possible solutions. The research was designed to answer the following questions: “How do urban children perceive and interact with their communities?” “What is the relationship between children and the natural environment within urban settings?” “To what extent are children consulted or considered in community planning and decision-making?” and “Can the Child Friendly City model be used to re-connect children with the natural environment?” Fifty-four elementary school students were interviewed, asked to draw pictures of their neighbourhoods and to rate a series of local images. Results were combined with teacher and city official interviews, as well as analyses of strategy and policy documents. This study identifies ways in which Waterloo can help children connect with the natural world and become more active members of their communities.
Overall, the research indicated that there are three main areas of concern: the child-nature interaction, the nature-community interaction and the child-community interaction. First, the child-nature interaction could be nurtured through improved access to nature. Children’s access to and use of nature in Waterloo is limited. Only 58.53% of students included a green element in neighbourhood drawings. Many children fear or are banned from natural green spaces. Outdoor education is decreasing, with some teachers avoiding field trips entirely. According to government procedures, children are not considered stakeholders of natural green spaces. Second, the nature-community interaction would improve with more consistent conservation and restoration efforts. While some city policies promote the acquisition and conservation or restoration of urban natural areas, others conflict with their intentions. Rapid development has led to a loss of opportunities for green space development. Third, the child-community interaction can be promoted by involving children in decision-making processes. There are no venues for children to participate in government. While older youth may participate in the Youth Recreation Council, there are no opportunities for younger children. Outreach is limited.
Attention to these three main interactions would help the City of Waterloo become more child-, nature- and community- friendly. The UNICEF Child Friendly City program describes a set of goals and a framework that would support these interactions.
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Where Have All the Children Gone? Community, Nature and the Child Friendly CityMcAllister, Catherine Anne January 2011 (has links)
Most parents aspire to raise children who are independent, healthy and productive members of society. In this pursuit, parents struggle to balance freedom and safety. Current theory and research suggests that North American society has gone too far in the quest for safety and control, shielding children from necessary experiences. While confined in backyards and schools and spending increasing amounts of time in front of televisions and computers, children fail to build connections with the natural world and the wider community.
In 1991, Canada ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention grants children specific rights, ranging from the right to clean water to the right to be heard on issues that affect them. While Canadian children fare well on many of the requirements, they are rarely consulted on decisions that affect their well-being. Public spaces, beyond schools and playgrounds, are not designed for or with children. Children’s free time is restricted, and outdoor play takes place within confined areas. Children have limited access to natural areas, and are trained to fear and avoid these spaces. These trends are disturbing from physical, social and mental health perspectives, as well as that of long-term environmental sustainability. The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) program, Child Friendly Cities, offers guidelines for improving the way children are addressed at the municipal level.
This research uses the City of Waterloo, Ontario, as a case study to document these issues and offer possible solutions. The research was designed to answer the following questions: “How do urban children perceive and interact with their communities?” “What is the relationship between children and the natural environment within urban settings?” “To what extent are children consulted or considered in community planning and decision-making?” and “Can the Child Friendly City model be used to re-connect children with the natural environment?” Fifty-four elementary school students were interviewed, asked to draw pictures of their neighbourhoods and to rate a series of local images. Results were combined with teacher and city official interviews, as well as analyses of strategy and policy documents. This study identifies ways in which Waterloo can help children connect with the natural world and become more active members of their communities.
Overall, the research indicated that there are three main areas of concern: the child-nature interaction, the nature-community interaction and the child-community interaction. First, the child-nature interaction could be nurtured through improved access to nature. Children’s access to and use of nature in Waterloo is limited. Only 58.53% of students included a green element in neighbourhood drawings. Many children fear or are banned from natural green spaces. Outdoor education is decreasing, with some teachers avoiding field trips entirely. According to government procedures, children are not considered stakeholders of natural green spaces. Second, the nature-community interaction would improve with more consistent conservation and restoration efforts. While some city policies promote the acquisition and conservation or restoration of urban natural areas, others conflict with their intentions. Rapid development has led to a loss of opportunities for green space development. Third, the child-community interaction can be promoted by involving children in decision-making processes. There are no venues for children to participate in government. While older youth may participate in the Youth Recreation Council, there are no opportunities for younger children. Outreach is limited.
Attention to these three main interactions would help the City of Waterloo become more child-, nature- and community- friendly. The UNICEF Child Friendly City program describes a set of goals and a framework that would support these interactions.
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Att planera städer för barn : Barnperspektivets genomslag inom fysisk planering / Planning cities for children : The evolution of a child perspective within physical planningNyberg, Linnea January 2021 (has links)
Due to growing populations and urbanization, a common trend in contemporary Swedish planning is that of densification. Open spaces within cities are being exploited to fit more housing and to prevent urban sprawl. This means that green areas which have traditionally been used by children for play and recreation transition into urban areas. This study aims to examine how a child perspective has developed within physical planning and how it has transformed over time. Henri Lefebvre's theory about the production of space has been used to gain a greater understanding about the different ways in which adults and children interpret and use public space. Lefebvre's theory has then been used to characterize the literature which this study builds upon. The study also presents two examples of planning in Sweden and examines to what extent children's needs have been met and what level of participation children have had in the planning process. The results show that Lefebvre's third dimension – lived space – is how children view and understand their environment. This is also the dimension that has been given less space in physical planning over time. The implementation of a child perspective within Swedish planning processes has been shown to vary from one municipality to another. These differences stem from a lack of national guidelines regarding how and when children should be included in the planning of the physical environment.
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Exploring Dimensions of Children’s Access to Urban Green Space : A Mixed-Method Analysis of Malmö, SwedenHällqvist, Klara January 2024 (has links)
Sweden has made a legal commitment to the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and, as such, should ensure children’s rights in urban planning. A vital aspect of a child-friendly city is access to urban green space. However, children’s access to green spaces is threatened by challenges in implementing the CRC in practice; children’s limited opportunities to explore public space; and the general trend of decreasing green spaces in cities. The purpose of this study is threefold: to examine Malmö’s urban planning strategies and their effectiveness in ensuring children’s access to green spaces; to analyse the current state of spatial accessibility; and to identify factors contributing to the perceived child-friendliness of green spaces. A mixed methods approach of content analysis, spatial analysis, observations and in-situ interviews with parents is used to examine children’s access to urban green spaces through various angles. This is further explored through the use of concepts related to spatial justice, children’s right to the city and attributes of a child friendly city. The thesis found ambiguity in the support from Malmö’s plans and strategies related to children’s access to green space and promotion of the child perspective. There seems to be an ambition to work with the child perspective, but challenges in translating this ambition into clear strategies and methods for including children in decisions beyond those relating to schools and kindergartens. Additionally, children were merely implicitly mentioned in relation to green space specifically, which lowers the support for children’s specific access to these spaces. The spatial analysis displayed that neighbourhoods in Malmö have access to some green space, but that the amount of green space differs. The amount of green space was higher in neighbourhoods with a high socioeconomic status and lower in child-dense neighbourhoods, which indicates spatial inequality and displays that children’s access to green space might differ depending on where they live. The perceived child-friendliness of the observed green spaces was largely dependent on the presence of the parents or other trustworthy adults. Additionally, the playground was central in green space usage and perceptions of child-friendliness. Lastly, there was a widespread fear among parents of letting the children visit the green spaces independently. This was related to traffic safety and revealed a duality related to ‘other people’ - strangers were seen as potential threats to their children’s safety, while certain strangers, especially other parents, were seen as increasing the safety of the green space.
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Children’s perceptions of the natural environment: creating child and environmentally friendly citiesAdams, Sabirah January 2009 (has links)
Masters of Art / A child friendly city (CFC) is the embodiment of the rights of the child manifested in the policies, programs, and laws of a city. A critical aspect in the creation of a CFC is the consideration of the natural environment (NE). Premised upon a child participatory perspective, this study explored the manner in which adolescents perceive and attach meaning to the NE, as there is limited research concerning this. The primary aim of the study
was to investigate children’s perceptions of the NE, and within this process to elucidate the meanings that children attach to environmental issues, and how these meanings contribute toward the creation of CFC’s. This study employed the broad epistemological position of social constructionism, and the theoretical framework of the Person-environment (P-E) fit theory. Methodologically, a qualitative research design was adopted, employing focus group interviews as the method of data collection. The study was conducted in an impoverished community on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Four focus group interviews were conducted with two groups of 8 children between the ages of 13 and 14 in grade 9. Thematic Analysis was utilised to analyse and interpret the findings. The
findings indicate that the participants perceive the NE through the lens of safety as natural areas in the community are characterised by crime, violence, pollution, and a haven for gangsters. The participants’ worldviews appear to be permeated with this milieu of danger which is pervasive in their community. Although the participants express the need to engage
in the NE, their mobility is greatly restricted due to their own, parental, or guardians fears of threat. There is evidently incongruence between the participants’ expectations for the NE, and the reality of the unsafe nature of the NE. The participants thus fall outside the prevailing categories of the social and cultural construction of childhood, as they undergo an immense
burden of adversity and suffering which breaches what childhood is supposed to signify.Along with many children in South Africa, the participants are exposed to an escalating level of crime and community violence which has a negative impact upon their sense of wellbeing,their ability to negotiate their mobility and to freely explore NE’s, and engage in childled initiatives to counteract impending safety and security concerns within their communities.It was also found that the participants consider the natural world as crucial in the creation of a CFC. Ultimately, the participants revealed that their community is not child friendly, and thereby suggest the requirement for a child and environmentally friendly city. The participants therefore proposed that environmental education (EE) be incorporated into the school curriculum to instil a greater awareness of environmental issues among their peers.
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