As the obesity epidemic in children increases, it is important to consider the role of neighborhoods in supporting children’s physical activity and healthy development, especially in low-income communities where obesity levels among children are higher than for their middle-income counterparts. I present a participatory and qualitative GIS approach to mapping children’s own perceptions and use […]
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It is no coincidence that all prosperous nations are predominantly urban. Urbanization goes hand in hand with economic development Nations with the highest economic growth over the last few decades are also the nations that have urbanized most. No country has managed to move into middle income status without urbanizing and industrializing. The recent World […]
Referencing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis to make cities more supportive of children’s needs, this paper discusses the emergence and characteristics of child friendly cities. It then reviews the development of an initiative in Denver, Colorado, to become the number one child friendly city in the USA, and […]
This essay reaches into the complex issues of urban growth to ask how we can insert a better understanding of children’s needs and perspectives into the governance, planning and management of cities. The issue of how cities develop has distinct and serious implications for children. Children are more vulnerable to many of the hazards of […]
In the context of post-disaster reconstruction, there is growing awareness of the need for more integrated inclusive processes that allow people to retake control of their lives, and that ensure practical responses to local conditions. Yet, a range of pressures and challenges conspire to make these approaches appear unworkable. “Participation” in this context, if it […]
This handbook aims at contributing to disaster response reconstruction programmes that not only rebuild the physical living environment but that strengthen the capacity of communities to regain control of their own lives, with a focus on their children’s present and future well-being. It considers the Why, What, and How of planning for post-disaster reconstruction with […]
In this introduction to the special issue on children’s participation, Cahill and Hart address issues raised by the collected papers and identify new questions for further engagement, rather than offer a general overview of the field. These questions include What is the context for participation? What does it mean to “participate”? Why have children been excluded from […]
In a first step to construct a model of the development of an environmental concern, literature is reviewed regarding children’s understanding of environmental processes, their motivations for engagement with the physical world, and their moral development. Political socialization, which hear upon their likelihood of taking action, is also reviewed. Connections between development in these fields […]
This paper discusses ideas and methodologies on reducing urban poverty, paying particular attention to the changes that can be triggered by the practice of community savings. As local communities struggle to improve their development options, this practice has demonstrated staying power and relevance in many different nations, cities and contexts, in some cases producing lasting […]
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Playgrounds of Inclusion
When children play, they are learning – developing the capacities of their bodies, exploring the material world around them and navigating the complexities of social interaction. Play contributes to children’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social development, and participation in play is enshrined as a right of all children in article 31 of the Convention on […]
