Children in the City: Reclaiming the Street

During recent decades, in many cities, important changes in home and neighborhood environments have significantly impacted the play and peer interactions of children. Many urban streets and public spaces have become inhospitable to children. However, parents continue to value outdoor play and access...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children, youth and environments youth and environments, 2006-01, Vol.16 (1), p.151-167
Main Authors: Karsten, Lia, van Vliet, Willem
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child care
Children
Childrens rights
Cities
Home gardens
Housing
Mothers
Neighborhoods
Parents
Research Notes
Urban environment
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Summary:During recent decades, in many cities, important changes in home and neighborhood environments have significantly impacted the play and peer interactions of children. Many urban streets and public spaces have become inhospitable to children. However, parents continue to value outdoor play and access to nature as important to their children's health and development. Against the background of a re-emerging interest among families and city governments to create child-friendly urban environments, this paper examines social and physical characteristics of such environments, based on research conducted in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It concludes that planners and designers need to support the efforts of families to re-claim the street as an important area for urban livability for children.
ISSN:1546-2250
1546-2250
DOI:10.1353/cye.2006.0030