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Conference abstract2016

Child-friendly environments from a socio-physical perspective – the role of green space management

Jansson, Märit

Abstract

The child-friendliness of built environments is often seen as connected to social aspects such as children’s participation and independent mobility. Also the physical properties of environments have a large impact through e.g. traffic planning and the amount of green space. Several researchers have pointed at the combination of social and physical aspects, including Horelli (2007, p. 283) who claims that “environmental child-friendliness” is depending on “settings and environmental structures that provide support to individual children and groups that take an interest in children’s issues so that children can construct and implement their goals or projects”. Green space managers organize and conduct the ongoing development and maintenance of urban green space, where children are often among the most frequent users. They have a role in which they can affect both the physical and the social environment, and thereby contribute to child-friendliness from a socio-physical perspective. However, this has so far been little studied. This study therefore aims at further understanding the role that green space managers might have in achieving or striving towards the development of child friendly environments. How do green space managers perceive and adapt to children as green space users? How can green space managers contribute to the child-friendliness of built environments? The study consists of two parts: a telephone survey directed to a selection of municipal green space managers in Swedish and Danish municipalities for an overview and an in depth case study of two built areas in southern Sweden, one “urban village” and one city district in a larger city. Both these environments consist of much detached housing and less apartment housing, with access to several public green spaces. The main method of the case study was walking interviews with groups of children aged 9-11 starting from their schools – and also with the local green space managers in the same area. The preliminary results reveal differences between municipalities and individual green space managers in the attitudes and actions towards children as green space users, as some were very keen on adapting to children through e.g. participatory approaches or by aiming at understanding a child perspective while others were not. The results also point at green space managers as a professional group that might be able to promote child-friendliness through their work, but that also have limited possibilities to actually do so. The role of green space management in promoting child-friendly environments from a socio-physical perspective can be of interest for further studies. 

Reference: Horelli, L. (2007). Constructing a theoretical framework for environmental child-friendliness. Children, Youth and Environments 17(4), 267-292.

Published in

Title: Book of abstracts : 8th edition child in the city conference : 7, 8, 9 November 2016 Ghent, Belgium
Publisher: Child in the city

Conference

Child in the City 8