Urbanism, Child friendly, mental health, play areas, Cities, Essay competition Fig: 1 - Cities/streets planned for kids make it healthy and free (Credits- street for kids Milan/ FIA Foundation)

CHILD-FRIENDLY URBANISM

Apart from the positive effects of economic and technological success, the lack of quality of life in urban areas has been confirmed as the major contributor to mental and physical health deterioration. Children's well-being and physical activity are seeing a decline as children still struggle to find their place in this complex phenomenon of the city structure.

During the rapid urbanisation process, cities are prioritising major areas that contribute to economic development, this reduces the existence of play areas, green spaces and playgrounds considerably. Reduced children's spaces not only affect the children but are also a strong indicator of the health of the city. Today, we need to understand that child-friendly cities are not just about play areas, but by exploring the child-friendly theme of urbanism we are building an integrated approach for long term urban resilience.

There is a need to understand child-friendly cities not just by introducing play areas by researching, questioning the various dimensions that children and cities share; and how they can be a driving force for our future cities.

QUESTIONS

Building on the above premise, write an essay looking at realistic answers that society and architects should answer, as to how child-friendly cities work.

What future does its dimension hold in solving the mental and physical health issues of urbanisation?

The piece should investigate answers to the following questions; based on real-life experiences or interviews or reasoning built through research:

Can you imagine the city from a child's perspective? What place does the child find itself in this complex paradigm of the city?
How is the child affected by urbanisation? What issues have led to the loss of childhood?
What is the role of the environment in the well-being of children in the cities?
What according to you is a child-friendly city? What core fundamentals does it have?
Is the provision of green spaces, gardens a solution to both, child-friendly city issues and environmental degradation issues caused due to urbanisation?
Can the introduction of child-friendly environmental strategies aid in the reduction of mental health issues in the urban environment?
What future steps do you think we need to take as designers- to make this change in approach towards urban cities?
Can we establish children as the natural agents of change in city building? Will their inclusion in the city fabric help in creating a more sustainable and environmentally aware future?

DELIVERABLES

Participants shall deliver an essay of about 1000 - 1500 words and less than 3 images, in a cohesive piece that answers the above questions and arguments based on them. The images need to be ensured that they are copyright free or you own their rights.

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