Enhancing children's spatial mobility in existing urban environments: a case of Bhopal's neighbourhoods

Abstract

Are there spaces for children in the city? The fact that we can raise this question at all is in itself an indication that a problem exists. The city, as a complex and large-scale environment, has both advantages and disadvantages for all age groups. Children are much more ‘present’ in Asian cities than they are in Western cities. They can be seen inhabiting the streets, being economically active (selling, working), in caring roles (looking after family members or fetching water for the households), and travelling independently over long distances to schools. The absence of basic needs such as private toilets and water taps can thrust children into long and unsafe journeys, while other articles mention how dangerous dogs and bullies, smokers and public alcohol drinkers can all negatively influence children’s use and enjoyment of public space. The poor fit between the child and the city is causing undue hardships for the child both mentally and physically. Making cities friendly for all children is an idea that is particularly important for improving the quality of life of urban children who are most affected by extensive changes brought about by globalization and rapid urbanization in the developing nations. However, there is no or little theoretical understanding of this construct. Making ‘Child friendly Cities’ is a concept for making cities friendly for all children especially the UN member countries. The purpose of this thesis is to understand relationship between children’s activity and their environments and how they move about/ use the urban environments, their networks and connections. After the study, a design toolkit or a framework can be developed and used by designers, planners and government bodies.