places for children AND youth _ OPEN SPACE GUIDELINES
How do we shape the space for children and youth in our cities?
In a research prepared for the municipality of Prague 5, we present several principles and good practices of designing spaces for children and youth based on specifics of age groups and necessary skills they need to adopt for a healthy development. But looking past that, we question the overall impact and underestimation of role of children and youth in many cities we all live in.
Firstly we focus on the TARGET GROUP - the characteristics and needs of children and youth, the typology of activities according to specific age groups, places and paths, where these activities can take place within the so-called “children’s infrastructure” network, providing the daily freedom of movement for them.
The space and its elements should help children and young people develop their skills comprehensively through play and other activities. These skills we divide in 3 basic domains: MOVE (Physical domain), THINK (mental domain), MEET (social domain).
To achieve a working “children’s infrastructure” network we need a hierarchy of accessible, safe and inclusive places where children and young people can spend their free time - from the private places closest to their home to the more distant public spaces. And to complete the network, we have to connect these places through paths - accessible, convenient, safe and active connections.
In the second part we tackle the aspects of SPACE for free-time activities for children and youth. These aspects we divide in structural (spatial and economic), social and environmental. It is an inventory of issues/themes that should be taken into account when designing, analyzing or searching for new places and connections within the network of “children’s infrastructure”.
The research promotes the idea of ‘a city for children is a city for all’ - an environment where they can move safely and freely between their homes and activities. And by extension, so can adults and elderly.
Because places, where children and youth spend their free time, are inseparable parts of our cities.
As well as are children and youth.
Their playground does not end.
