What makes a city Child Friendly?
Children are sensory beings. They are born with innate creativity. They have the capacity to convert anything in their surrounding as a toy with the help of their imagination. Child friendly cities work within the framework of this knowledge.
In metropolitan cities like Mumbai where development is the buzzword, a very important question arises, how is a child’s development incorporated within the structure of the city. The reality of many urban children is that they end up spending too much time indoor, which ultimately leads to the exposure of screens, this further catapult into many other complications. Few cities are fighting the tide with innovative ways to keep children healthy, sociable and active with spaces which allows for
Children need open spaces like gardens and parks. Studies have proved that greenery has psychological benefits such as reduction of stress and aggression, better concentration and reduced levels of obesity. A city, which is conscious about their children, will restrict development at the cost of tearing down a garden. Child friendly cities in the world provide more than open spaces. There is a commitment to improving the lives of children by realizing their rights and considering their needs in public policy processes and decisions.
Safe access to locations like schools and community centers is vital for kids. Also designing spaces surrounding these public spaces keeping the child as the epicenter can bring about small important changes. For example conceiving pavements and walking paths enables children to move freely and confidently. Also having no speeding and no honking zones around most public spaces can be beneficial. Slow moving vehicles are less intimidating for children.
Temporarily shutting down streets and making them car free aids the children to engage with their environment. It has proven to be an effective way to increase communal and economic activity. Children find a new language while playing on streets. These are easy and effective for any city to imbibe. Prioritizing children in these initiatives will help to convey the importance of a clean, sustainable and an equitable future. Most planners miss the fact that a child’s cognitive ability is still developing. It would help to have information at their eye level so that it helps them to fully understand their surroundings.
Functional spaces should be created around public structures so that a child learns to interact with them. The underbellies of flyovers, subways, underpasses, streets, pavements and bridges can be designed with an element of fun. Street festivals like the Kalaghoda Festival, or the art festival at Sasson docks, the Dharavi biennale, farmers markets, marathons, and interactive installations are methods to make the city interactive and add a spark of colour and joy.
Apart from that, public space like museums, stations, and gardens should be equipped for babies. Stroller access and diaper changing stations are all basic needs, which should be covered. Child friendly cities have specially designed spaces for children. For example the National Museum In Copenhagen has a children’s museum within its premises, which enables the child to participate in history as it were. The section on the Viking history has a boat, swords and costumes so that children can role-play. Every section has material the child can touch and feel so that they can understand history in an interactive way. The Art and Science Museum of Singapore encourages children to experiment with multiple elements, which are thought provoking and immersive.
Due to lack of supervision and alertness by the authorities the air quality in Mumbai has deteriorated. Children whose fragile body is still developing cannot take the level of pollution, which has led to many respiratory and lung ailments. The Air quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai has been an alarming 200 on an average whereas other child friendly cities around the world have an AQI of 45 or 50. There are simple measures and small changes in the governance that can make healthy zones for children within the city.
There is a survey done by Oxford University on the happiest cities in the world. The report is not merely based on infrastructural guidelines but self-reports of people in their own city who evaluate the quality of their lives. Mumbai does not make it to the list. Acceptance of the city as our home and nurturing it will directly impact behavioral patterns. If we look at working toward a goal to make the city a happy place to live in then automatically many of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle will fall into place.
If you decide to take a long walk with your toddler, imagine being able to move around with your child without having to shut your stroller even once. You can navigate through local transport, streets and markets without flinching. Is that a dream? Some cities make this dream possible. They are designed in a way that at every access point the infrastructure is ironed out for its babies. Ramps, slopes, walking paths, separate queues and elevators. Mumbai has many things going for it as a city but just with a little tweaking and change in thought process; it can not only embrace more children but also be a happy place to live in.
In metropolitan cities like Mumbai where development is the buzzword, a very important question arises, how is a child’s development incorporated within the structure of the city. The reality of many urban children is that they end up spending too much time indoor, which ultimately leads to the exposure of screens, this further catapult into many other complications. Few cities are fighting the tide with innovative ways to keep children healthy, sociable and active with spaces which allows for
Children need open spaces like gardens and parks. Studies have proved that greenery has psychological benefits such as reduction of stress and aggression, better concentration and reduced levels of obesity. A city, which is conscious about their children, will restrict development at the cost of tearing down a garden. Child friendly cities in the world provide more than open spaces. There is a commitment to improving the lives of children by realizing their rights and considering their needs in public policy processes and decisions.
Safe access to locations like schools and community centers is vital for kids. Also designing spaces surrounding these public spaces keeping the child as the epicenter can bring about small important changes. For example conceiving pavements and walking paths enables children to move freely and confidently. Also having no speeding and no honking zones around most public spaces can be beneficial. Slow moving vehicles are less intimidating for children.
Temporarily shutting down streets and making them car free aids the children to engage with their environment. It has proven to be an effective way to increase communal and economic activity. Children find a new language while playing on streets. These are easy and effective for any city to imbibe. Prioritizing children in these initiatives will help to convey the importance of a clean, sustainable and an equitable future. Most planners miss the fact that a child’s cognitive ability is still developing. It would help to have information at their eye level so that it helps them to fully understand their surroundings.
Functional spaces should be created around public structures so that a child learns to interact with them. The underbellies of flyovers, subways, underpasses, streets, pavements and bridges can be designed with an element of fun. Street festivals like the Kalaghoda Festival, or the art festival at Sasson docks, the Dharavi biennale, farmers markets, marathons, and interactive installations are methods to make the city interactive and add a spark of colour and joy.
Apart from that, public space like museums, stations, and gardens should be equipped for babies. Stroller access and diaper changing stations are all basic needs, which should be covered. Child friendly cities have specially designed spaces for children. For example the National Museum In Copenhagen has a children’s museum within its premises, which enables the child to participate in history as it were. The section on the Viking history has a boat, swords and costumes so that children can role-play. Every section has material the child can touch and feel so that they can understand history in an interactive way. The Art and Science Museum of Singapore encourages children to experiment with multiple elements, which are thought provoking and immersive.
Due to lack of supervision and alertness by the authorities the air quality in Mumbai has deteriorated. Children whose fragile body is still developing cannot take the level of pollution, which has led to many respiratory and lung ailments. The Air quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai has been an alarming 200 on an average whereas other child friendly cities around the world have an AQI of 45 or 50. There are simple measures and small changes in the governance that can make healthy zones for children within the city.
There is a survey done by Oxford University on the happiest cities in the world. The report is not merely based on infrastructural guidelines but self-reports of people in their own city who evaluate the quality of their lives. Mumbai does not make it to the list. Acceptance of the city as our home and nurturing it will directly impact behavioral patterns. If we look at working toward a goal to make the city a happy place to live in then automatically many of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle will fall into place.
If you decide to take a long walk with your toddler, imagine being able to move around with your child without having to shut your stroller even once. You can navigate through local transport, streets and markets without flinching. Is that a dream? Some cities make this dream possible. They are designed in a way that at every access point the infrastructure is ironed out for its babies. Ramps, slopes, walking paths, separate queues and elevators. Mumbai has many things going for it as a city but just with a little tweaking and change in thought process; it can not only embrace more children but also be a happy place to live in.