The research reinforces my personal feelings about residential streets loosing their function as social and play environments. It also, interestingly enough, mentions that Munich can be used as an existing model for reclaiming the streets for children, which I captured pictures of last fall. Not only that, but I spent my time in Munich as an Au Pair, taking care of 3 young girls aged 14 months to 6 years. Each day - weather permitting - we spent outside was spent doing some sort of activity in the street. I doubt there was a day that passed that I didn't see a group of kids playing in the "street," whether it was scootering and biking around or boys kicking a soccer ball (I bet this happened daily no matter what!). Even though our neighborhood was more suburban than urban, the streets played an important part in the way of life for people of all ages. It goes to show that "safer" streets with less or slower traffic are used for reasons other than driving or transport.
From the publication:
"One should be able to play everywhere, easily, loosely, and not forced into a 'playground' or 'park'. The failure of an urban environment can be measured in direct proportion to the number of 'playgrounds.'
Notwithstanding research which suggests that parks and playgrounds are highly valued by children (Homel and Burns, 1986, 109), perhaps this argument is not as absurd as it seems. It helps us to realise that the way we have been seeing 'children's spaces' is "culturally constructed". This quote is highlighting the possibility that parks and playgrounds are among the few places left for children in our cities. It is saying that a truly child friendly city should be one big playground. Cities in the developed world can hardly be described in such terms, mainly because of the way in which streets are seen as barriers for children, rather than as a useful resource for play.No doubt circumstances are changing ever-more rapidly, with the automobile as the main culprit. Car dependency creates more dangerous streets, leading to more parental supervision for child safety, more formal/supervised play, less freedom and independence for children, and ultimately less ability for spontaneity and creativity in children. All of which can play a major role in the development, socialization, and sense of community for children.
This is where Living Streets come in. The publication reviews "traffic calming" in countries that have had success in reclaiming the streets as social space - not surprising that the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark are mentioned here. Munich is highlighted:
One European city which is developing a reputation for being a "playful city" is Munich. Since the early 1970s, the combined efforts of play organisations and city authorities has led to Munich evolving as a model playful city. The key aspect of the approach taken is the realisation that children need time and space for open, non structured play, and that such play is a crucial part of a child's positive development (Zacharias and Zacharias, 1993). It is argued that playing should be allowed and possible in all the everyday environments of the city, rather than simply in specific playgrounds. There should be a "playable city" where the entire environment is conducive to children's play. In many parts of Munich, the streets are seen as appropriate places for children to play (Moore, 1993).
To support the ability of children to play in the streets, a number of "verkehrsberuhigter Bereich" have been developed. Many of these are similar to woonerven, and they have a special sign that says: "children can play in this street". Cars must travel very slowly (5 -7 km/h) and they can only park in marked areas. Knecht (1995, pers. comm.) has recently conducted a project in Munich called "Play in the streets and yards". His observations were that children do in fact play in such verkehrsberuhigter Bereich where they cover a large area, as in an area of Munich called Moosach. In one street in Knecht's study, Hirschstrasse, children painted a mini golf course with chalk on the street. They made 20 stations with wooden material and toys and other material. A huge number of children from the neighbourhood streets (also verkehrsberihigt) come to Hirschstrasse to join the game. Children also play tennis, roller skate, play ball games and so on. One of the most important findings of Knecht's study was that if there are a lot of children playing in the street, the car drivers proceed very slowly. Sometimes they even turn around and look for another route. Thus, children have been able to successfully reclaim the street!While I feel relief to know that my inclination is actually backed up by research, it's disheartening to see the place I knew as a playground growing up disappear. But progress is being made with like Living Streets and traffic calming. Such strategies can be thought of as a piece to the puzzle or possibly even a catalyst to transform streets away from exclusive automobile use and back to communities that actually bring value and life to the veins of a city. The authors of the research couldn't sum it up better:
Making provision for children's play throughout a city's public spaces, including its residential streets, will not only be of great benefit for children, it will create a physical and social environment of superior quality for all the city's residents. If we can encourage more people to use residential streets for walking, cycling, social interaction and playing, then cities will become more sociable, more livable places for all city residents. Cities will once again become places which facilitate exchanges between people of all ages.
Sources:
http://www.ecoplan.org/children/general/tranter.htm
http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/phd/resources/Streets_as_Playgrounds.pdf
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