Child Safety and protection

Based on the SPACES guide, planning for urban children requires looking beyond a single type of playground. Instead, it requires a holistic view of three distinct spatial scales: the Housing (or Domestic) scale, the Neighborhood scale, and the City scale.

Understanding these scales is vital because a child’s mobility and developmental needs evolve as they grow. A toddler requires immediate proximity and supervision, while an adolescent needs the independence to navigate the city. Consequently, the guide recommends that urban planning provide a connected network of spaces across these three levels.

Here is a detailed discussion of what the sources say about each scale:

  1. The Housing and Domestic Scale

This scale refers to the immediate environment surrounding a child’s home. It typically consists of semi-private open spaces rather than fully public ones.

  • Types of Spaces: This includes courtyards in multi-family housing, communal gardens, rooftops, lobbies, corridors in high-rise apartments, and “doorstep” play areas,.
  • Target Groups: The guide emphasizes that this scale is particularly critical for young children, girls, and children with disabilities. These groups often have restricted mobility or require closer supervision, making the space immediately outside their door essential for daily health and socialization.
  • Informal Contexts: In slums or high-density informal settlements where indoor space is scarce, these semi-private areas (such as widened alleys or shared courtyards) effectively function as the primary living room and play space for children.
  • Design Recommendations: For children under the age of five, these spaces should be designed to allow direct supervision by caregivers, such as by placing shaded seating nearby.
  1. The Neighborhood Scale

As children grow, their territory expands to the local community. This scale is crucial for promoting independent mobility, physical activity, and social connections.

  • Streets as Public Space: The sources identify streets as one of the most important public spaces at this scale. They are often the largest and most immediately accessible free spaces, serving as a “play and learning landscape” where children navigate their environment and walk to school,.
  • Semi-Public Spaces (Schools): The guide highlights schoolyards as a vital resource at the neighbourhood scale. In many dense urban areas (both planned and informal), schools act as the largest single community asset. The guide advocates for opening schoolyards to the public after hours to address land scarcity.
  • Liminal Spaces: At this scale, children frequently utilize “leftover” or transitional spaces—such as dead-end streets, vacant lots, or wild planted patches. While often neglected by planners, these are prized by children for free, adventurous play.
  • Safety: To make this scale functional, cities must enable safe routes (e.g., shortcuts through alleys, well-lit passages) so children can access friends and amenities without the fear of traffic.
  1. The City Scale

This scale encompasses larger destination spaces that serve the entire urban population. Children typically visit these spaces less frequently, usually accompanied by family, schools, or groups of friends.

  • Types of Spaces:
    • Blue-Green Spaces: Municipal parks, urban forests, wetlands, waterfronts, and botanical gardens.
    • Civic Spaces: Public squares, plazas, and open spaces around public buildings like libraries or museums.
  • Function: These spaces facilitate “natural-world socialization,” allowing children to experience biodiversity and wildlife. They are also critical for climate resilience, acting as sponges for flood control and cooling centers for the city.
  • Inequity: The guide notes a stark disparity at this scale. While wealthier neighborhoods often have abundant parks, low-income and informal settlements frequently lack access to these larger green spaces. For example, in Maiduguri, Nigeria, only 2% of the population has access to public open space, compared to 93% in Odense, Denmark.

Summary of Strategic Importance

The SPACES guide argues that these scales should not be treated in isolation.

  • Networked Approach: A child-friendly city connects these scales. A child should be able to move safely from a doorstep play area (Housing) to a local school (Neighbourhood) and eventually to a large municipal park (City).
  • Equity: Planners are urged to map these scales to identify gaps. It is not enough to have a city park if there are no safe spaces at the housing level for toddlers or girls to use daily.
  • Resilience: In crisis or refugee contexts, even temporary spaces should be planned across these scales to support psycho-social recovery and a return to normalcy.