Child-Friendly Urban Design: Nurturing Futures through Affordance in London

Urban design plays an important role in shaping the lives of its residents with different backgrounds, yet we often find out that they are not inclusive. The spaces are designed for the majority of people, the generic people, and neglect the needs of other unpopular groups of people, in this case, the children. This problem needs to be solved with urban design by making use of children’s wide variety of affordances in spaces.

Introduction

The design of the city oftentimes neglects the needs of children as its users, and bear in mind that their needs are different from adults. Ironically, the beginning of the idea of including them itself was not children-centric, as stated in Aitken (2001) about separating children from ‘adult productive activities’ to protect the ‘innocence of childhood’ by designing special places that are able to accommodate childhood. The first ‘playground’ was then created in the US in order to ‘include’ and keep immigrant children off the streets. The ego itself is meant for adults’ benefit, not the children’s.

The way of thinking about children’s space has changed over time. The government has been protecting the children with regulations and concepts. For example, The London Plan includes four lenses for an integrated and holistic approach to their independent mobility.

Figure 1 – The London Plan Exemplar Approach of Child-Friendly City (Greater London Authority, 2019)

Affordances

The mobility of children, alongside creativity, cannot be separated from their affordance. Hart (2002) found that every child has their own way to appropriate the play space with their different perspectives. They would play with one object in a lot of ways, derived from the elements of independence and self-direction. That is what is needed, to not give them planned or segregated child-friendly areas.

Figure 2 – The Free-Form Children’s Mind when Playing with an Object

Case Study: London Borough of Hackney

Hackney is one of the areas where the designs for the youngest citizens are prioritised as it has got a safe, engaging, and child-friendly urban environment through these factors:

• Accessible Green Spaces:

London Borough of Hackney has a commitment in terms of accessible green spaces. Parks and playgrounds are everywhere, providing children with areas to play, explore, and connect with nature. Not only that, but it is also inclusive to children. They are equipped with accessible equipment so that every child, regardless of physical abilities, can enjoy and participate in recreational activities.

Figure 3 – Hackney Downs as Children’s Playground

• Safe Streets and Walkable Neighbourhoods:

There are pedestrian-friendly streets and walkable neighbourhoods, ensuring children can move safely. Pedestrian crossings and strategically placed signage contribute to a secure environment for young pedestrians. The Hackney School Streets program, for instance, restricts vehicular traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times, enhancing safety and reducing air pollution around schools. Another example is that some residential streets are free of vehicles so that children can play in that area.

Figure 4 – ‘Play Streets’ Traffic Restrictions on Residential Roads

Conclusions

In conclusion, Hackney’s emphasis on affordance in child-friendly urban design does not only cover the physical infrastructure but also the commitment itself to provide for the needs of children. With affordance, Hackney enhances the quality of life of children, prioritising the well-being and development of the children within the urban landscape.

References:

Hart (2002): Containing Children: Some Lessons on Planning for Play from New York City. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/095624780201400211?src=getftr

Aziz and Said (2015): Outdoor Environments as Children’s Play Spaces: Playground Affordances. Available at: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-4585-96-5_7-1

Wood, Bornat, and Bicquelet-Lock (2019): Child-Friendly Planning in the UK: A Review. Available at: https://www.rtpi.org.uk/media/1568/childfriendlyplanningintheukareview2019.pdf

Greater London Authority (2019): Making London Child-Friendly: Designing Places and Streets for Children and Young People. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ggbd_making_london_child-friendly.pdf

Pitsikali, A (2023): Child-Friendly Urban Design [Lecture]. TCP8090: Principles of Urban Design. Newcastle University.

Image References:

Greater London Authority (2019): Making London Child-Friendly: Designing Places and Streets for Children and Young People. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ggbd_making_london_child-friendly.pdf

Playlink: Hackney Down. Available at: https://playlink.org/services/hackney-down/