Xinmin Global｜Creating a space that respects and cares for children from a "one-meter-high" perspective How countries create a warm "child-friendly" background
2024-08-07
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The playground at the doorstep and the fairy-tale sidewalks. Creating a child-friendly space from a "one-meter-high" perspective is a manifestation of the warmth of a modern city.
In 1996, UNICEF proposed the concept of "child-friendly cities". In recent years, building a city that respects and cares for children has received increasing attention from countries around the world. Children are the future of society. How can we make the needs of these "little citizens" visible, their ideas respected, and their voices heard? Different cities have given different answers.
Denmark: Including children’s voices in decision-making systems
As the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark's love for children does not stop at the fairy tale world. In recent years, Billund, the first city in Denmark to be awarded the title of "Child-Friendly City" by UNICEF, has been committed to building a "Children's Capital".
Billund, located in Jutland Peninsula in southwestern Denmark, is the headquarters of the LEGO Group. In Danish, "LEGO" means "play well", which seems to be the development direction of the city of Billund. In 2012, the Billund City Government and the LEGO Foundation joined forces to plan to build Billund into a "children's capital". Incorporating children's voices into the city's decision-making system and integrating children's welfare into social development and urban governance have become the goals pursued by the Billund City Government.
Legoland, nature and wildlife areas, sculpture parks, water parks... In recent years, Billund has created a very diverse children's play space for children. In 2021, the then mayor of Billund, Christensen, said that in the past decade, Billund has expanded and added a series of children's activity spaces and facilities, especially outdoor facilities, which play a very important role in releasing children's nature and getting them close to nature.
At the same time, Christensen also pointed out that planning and creating child-friendly spaces is not enough to make Billund a "children's capital". "Billund also gives children the right to participate equally in urban planning decisions. Children, like adults, have the ability to express their own opinions as urban subjects."
Picture caption: Several children's amusement parks have been built in Billund, Denmark. Picture GJ
In order to ensure the important position of children in this city, the Billund City Government, the media and some child development institutions regularly invite children to serve as "mayors", "editor-in-chief" or "supervisors" for a day. At the same time, Billund has also set up a "Children's Capital Group", which is composed of 9 primary and secondary school student representatives, allowing them to participate in the formulation of some policies. Christensen said that the "Children's Capital" should not only make decisions for children, but also let children make decisions and let children have a say in urban planning.
Make sure every child can walk to a playground and make every playground unique. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is also racking its brains to better provide public playgrounds for children. In addition to playgrounds being almost everywhere, Copenhagen also pays special attention to children's safety. Even free playgrounds are staffed with dedicated staff to ensure children's personal safety. In addition, most playgrounds are equipped with indoor spaces, where children can play in bad weather and parents can chat over coffee.
Analysts believe that Denmark's "child-friendliness" benefits from the high support from the government and society. For example, the government has invested a lot of money and manpower in children's healthcare, care and education, and the entire society and culture also attach great importance to children's happiness.
Picture caption: Children playing in the playground in Copenhagen, Denmark (Photo GJ)
UK: Exploring the construction of children's play spaces
The United Kingdom is the first Western country to legislate on children's rights. It also attaches great importance to the construction of children's play spaces in cities and has actively carried out practical explorations in informal play spaces such as streets and communities.
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in London is an adventure-themed children's playground, where an oversized wooden pirate ship is very eye-catching. The playground manager said that the playground will intentionally provide some risks within a safe range so that children can develop a sense of risk in a controllable game environment, which is conducive to cultivating children's imagination, sense of adventure and the spirit of courage to face challenges.
In 2016, the Leeds City Council worked with the "Child-Friendly Leeds" organization to set up a pop-up park in a public space in the city center. The "pop-up park" is a temporary children's play space open only in the summer, with climbable sculptures, benches and plants. Analysts pointed out that such temporary children's play spaces have the characteristics of being able to flexibly utilize seasons and venues, which can not only provide children with free and diverse games and social activities, but also bring vitality to monotonous public spaces and bring more popularity to nearby shopping malls and stores.
Photo caption: Pop-up park in the centre of Leeds, UK
The city's alleys have been transformed into safe play spaces for children, and within a ten-minute walk you can reach an outdoor area for children that is open all day... The warm atmosphere of "child-friendliness" seems to be everywhere in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
The city was awarded the title of "Child-Friendly City" by UNICEF in 2023. Data shows that since 2019, 42,250 children have received free consultation services on health issues through the Cardiff Family Portal; since April 2020, 66,324 children aged 5 to 14 have enjoyed the recreational facilities provided by the local government; more than 700 opportunities have been provided for children and young people to participate in the decision-making of the Cardiff City Council; about 50 children's teams have participated in the design and planning of new urban areas; through the "School Street Program", road traffic safety and air pollution near 22 schools have been improved; 43 institutions have provided children with extracurricular learning experiences in science and technology, art and culture; through the "City Passport" program, 2,860 children have participated in more than 90 free activities.
How to make cities more child-friendly?
In Munich, Germany, every two years during the summer vacation, a miniature city almost entirely managed by children appears. The citizens of this "Mini Munich City" are children aged 7 to 15. Children can enter this "city" for free, enjoy free food all day long, and play different social roles in various positions.
Caption: Children simulate work in various positions in the "Mini Munich City"
It is reported that this is a welfare education project for children, led by the Munich Municipal Government, which imitates real urban facilities and social life. In the "Mini Munich City", there are more than 200 occupations and more than 800 jobs for children to choose from. The money earned by children through work can be freely spent in the city, and these expenses are sponsored by the Munich Municipal Government and related companies. The project leader said that the purpose of creating the "Mini Munich City" is to enable children to cultivate civic awareness as much as possible, experience a rich social life, and understand the various values and cultures that appear in society.
Since the 1990s, Vancouver, Canada has introduced a "child-friendly" housing policy. This policy stipulates that one-quarter of Vancouver's housing should be designed for families with children. For example, the floors should be low, there should be plenty of natural light, children can play with water and sand anytime and anywhere, public space should be provided for strollers and children to play, and family homes must be surrounded by schools, daycare centers, grocery stores, and safe walking paths.
In addition, cities such as Barcelona, Spain, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires have launched programs in recent years to let children ride bicycles to school. This program will arrange a certain time on a certain day of the week when some streets in the city are closed to cars, and the police will escort the children to ride bicycles to school.
Caption: Barcelona police escort children to school by bike (GJ)
Why should we build a "child-friendly city"? Analysts point out that ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of children is first of all a legal obligation. Factors in social life such as changes in family structure, urbanization, changes in employment patterns, and climate change will also have a certain impact on children's lives. Cities need to listen to children's voices and meet their needs as much as possible. After all, the healthy growth of children is related to the future well-being of the entire society.
However, building a "child-friendly city" is not something that can be done overnight. It is related to all aspects of social life and urban planning. Experts believe that building a "child-friendly city" should start from multiple levels such as communities, neighborhoods, and cities. In the community, we can build complete and convenient children's service facilities, configure diverse and interesting children's activity venues, and build safe travel routes for children; in the neighborhood, we can build a children's safety activity circle including schools, children's activity centers, community health service centers, etc.; and cities can focus on building an outdoor space system and a road traffic system that adapts to children's habits.
Another expert said that in addition to efforts in spatial planning and construction, building a "child-friendly city" also requires the establishment of a comprehensive system, including rights protection, participation in public affairs, and access to public services. All of this is inseparable from the support and coordination of various departments such as law, administration, and management, as well as the whole society.
