Child-friendly cities can encourage appreciation of and attraction to public spaces and encourage time spent outdoors. The authors suggest that certain characteristics of child-friendly cities can make them more resilient. For example, public spaces can provide a space for children’s emotional development and are important spaces for gathering in instances of socio-natural disasters. Recent research has suggested that children should be included in urban planning processes to improve resilient urban development. This paper explores children's perception of public space and how it can help facilitate resilience using three case studies of spaces located in Valparaiso, Chile.
The three public spaces include: one that lacked child participation in design and lacks child-focused amenities, one that provides child-focused amenities despite not having included children in the design process, and one that included children in the design process and is child-friendly. The researchers used focus groups, participatory mapping, and scale model interventions to understand children’s perspectives about the public spaces. The public spaces were selected for socio-spatial vulnerability (e.g., fire and earthquakes), nearby schools, and degree of inclusion of children in the design process. The schools were noted to offer different educational approaches tailored for children from different socio-economic statuses.
Findings show that children appreciate public spaces that include equipment for children more than ones that don't, and they appreciate the spaces they played a part in designing more so than those they didn't. Including use of the public space in the educational curriculum led to more positive attitudes about the public space, as well as familiarity. Children from the school that utilized a constructivist educational approach emphasizing artistic development and environmental and heritage education offered the most creative ideas about ways that their public space could be improved. The children demonstrated basic knowledge about what to do when socio-natural disasters occur. Children who were more familiar with their nearby public space due to its use in their curriculum were more likely to envision that space as helpful in case of disaster.
The authors conclude that for public spaces to be seen as protective in case of natural disaster, these spaces must be familiar to and appreciated by children for both their individual benefits and social role. Public spaces designed with children's input and tailored to their play needs are more likely to be used by children. Promotional activities can educate children and families about the utility of the space in the case of disaster.
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