How less structured city spaces can nurture children’s creativity and independence

Children’s play is essential for their cognitive, physical and social development. But in cities, the spaces to play are generally separated, often literally fenced, from the rest of urban life.

In our new study, we compare the use of children of such spaces in Auckland, New Zealand and Venice, Italy. Our results have a paradox: playgrounds built for safety can suffocate creativity and mobility, while the self-organization of open spaces offers rich opportunities to explore and belong.

In Auckland, places such as Taumata Reserve are a testimony to the contemporary design of the playground – the agassus, shaded, equipped with slides and swings, and buffered from traffic. These places are an oasis darling by caregivers for the perceived feeling of security they offer.

However, during our observations, we noted how these spaces do not necessarily work as an oasis or a social meeting point, but rather as islands of isolated refuge, disconnected from the daily life of the city. The independent mobility of children and the opportunities for various game activities have remained limited and predefined.

Compare this to the Santa Croce de Venice district. The streets without a car and the piazzas, like Campo San Giacomo Dell’orio above, pulsed with life. We saw children playing in the ball, drawing on the sidewalks, chasing each other and even aquatic plants. These spaces are shared intergenerational stages.

To compare the experience of children, we have measured the diversity of activities (a proxy for creativity). The Tackland Taumata reserve marked only 1.46. On the other hand, Venice scored 2.33, with more than 2,600 spontaneous acts in the streets, reflecting a game culture led by the child.

Why this counts

The game is not a luxury. It is a fundamental necessity of life to understand, navigate and adapt to the complexities of the world.

From a deterministic point of view, contemporary Western cultures (as in Europe and New Zealand) prescribe various advantages of the game. This includes the learning and development of resilience, spatial consciousness and social skills.

In Auckland, security is at the center. Although inclusion for children with special needs is understandable, it can inadvertently limit the collective capacity of vital and formative development experiences on a district level.

Global research shows the drop in children’s mobility, linked to the dependence of cars and routines controlled by adults. This reduces the children’s activity department, limits confidence and decreases connection to the place. For one of us, a father of two, looking at his daughters navigating in the parks underlines: children must be able to learn the risk competence.

Venice is a cultural model from which we can learn from lessons. Its pedestrian streets allow children to travel, climb statues and play hide and see on the bridges. This risk exposure strengthens judgment, adaptability and the agency. He also makes children co-creators of urban life.

Our study uses what we call “temporary appropriation” – when children use unforeseen and creative spaces – and a design framework called Spiral, which is inspired by individual experiences and cultural stories to build public spaces.

Auckland’s rules and fences brake this; The design on a human scale of Venice invites him. Venice conditions promote risk competence for children and caregivers, strengthening community obligations through a culture of care. The spaces for the Auckland game are spatially fragmented, limiting social encounters and vital risk -taking skills for development.

From the point of view of New Zealand, it is also essential to recognize the importance of belonging based on the place of a vision of the Maori world. Concepts such as Whakapapa (Genealogy), Whelua (Land) and Whanungatanga (relational ties) emphasize deep and intergenerational connections instead.

From this point of view, the game is not only leisure but a cultural expression; A way for children to live Turangawaewae (a place to stand up).

What other cities can learn

According to our research, we can learn from how urban areas could be redesigned to better support the well-being and autonomy of children. This includes:

• Design public spaces with natural elements, “risky art”, bulk parts and creative equipment for open game which balances security without compromising the possibilities of discovery and risk -taking
• Reduce the number of cars and slow down speeds to get better results for children
• Recover the streets so that all people and animals can have positive adventures
• Prioritize policies for zones without car or slander in neighborhoods and close to social places (schools, libraries, stores, parks) to contribute to a culture where security is a collective responsibility and a commitment to stronger social cohesion
• Proactively involving children in urban design by creating places and temporary appropriation; It is their right to be heard and listened to through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children
• Encourage participative co-design workshops and action-oriented initiatives to exploit children’s ideas to design spaces that meet the needs
• Consider nuanced and emotional indicators for success such as belonging, curiosity, joy and intergenerational exchange rather than a simple efficiency or cost of maintenance
• And modify the environment in collaboration over time.

We are considering cities where children wander freely, invent and know more deep and authentic membership. Venice proves that shared public spaces help children enrich and shape cities, as much as the rest of the population.

Safety playgrounds are just a starting point. For healthy, regenerative and dynamic cities to work, we must realize that children should have an agency to shape the complex assembly that cities are really. Let’s build urban future where children are not only playing, but can have positive adventures.

The choices we make today count. We can either nourish fear or take up the cultural challenge together by kissing the positive adventures of life, with a feeling of collective well-being, care and stewardship.

This article is republished from the conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.