Tribhuwan University

Institute Of Engineering
Purwanchal Campus
Dharan 15, Sunsari

A Seminar Presentation On
“CHILD FRIENDLY URBAN DESIGN”

Submitted To :
Sanjaya Maharjan
Department Of Architecture

Submitted By :
Prakash Roka Magar
PUR074BAR030
INTRODUCTION

Child-friendly urban planning

offers a substantive vision for
neighbourhoods: one that
sees children’s everyday
freedoms, and the resulting
benefits for them and their
families, as essential. It also
focuses on built environment
disciplines.
Creating child friendly communities is central to building
strong and vital neighbourhoods, cities and regions, though
concerns have been put forward on the insufficient
response from the field of the built environment.
OBJECTIVES

 To explore the role of urban design in the relationship

between public space and children and its impace on child-
friendly planning.
 To learn about creating sustainable physical environments
on building scale that ensures children’s health and
wellbeing.
 To understand the need of importance of a city’s level of
child friendliness developing the physical, social, mental
and creative skills of children.
ASPECTS OF CHILD FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

At the heart of a child-

friendly neighbourhood
lies the desire to
provide children with
opportunities to create
meaning and a sense of
belonging to inspire
architects, councils and
developers on how this
can be done.
Fig : Aspects of child friendly environment
CHILDREN, FAMILY AND PLANNING

A child is a human being

between the stages of birth
and puberty,or between the
developmental period of
infancy and puberty.With 40
per cent of the population
under the age of 18 years,
investments in children and
adolescents is important in
shaping national
development.
Fig : Children
CHILDREN, FAMILY AND PLANNING

Cities are dynamic

social spaces where
transformations are
constantly
underfoot and are
shaped by the
communities that
inhabit them.
Fig : Child Friendly Planning
To improve contextual and rigorous understanding of children’s
contemporary problems and needs in the city, urban analysis is
essential.
SPATIAL DOMAIN

Role of Housing
These studies showed a strong dissatisfaction with high rise living
for families, the livability of these places and includes the impact
on children within their analysis.

Role of Transportation
The scattered geography of children over the city results in an
archipelagic spatial activity pattern that requires children to
travel under escort to disconnected places. Public spaces have
transformed into adult-oriented spaces where children are only
tolerated under certain conditions
SOCIAL DOMAIN

Importance of Play and Community

Building huts and playing hide and seek can just as well be done
inside as outside. The transition of public space oriented towards
more adult spaces has aided to the creation of less autonomous
children in the public sphere

Experience and Consumption

Children’s urban experience potentially varies by axes of
difference including age, socio-economic status, location and
gender.
NEED OF CHILD FRIENDLY URBAN DESIGN

The urban paradox

reminds us that cities
are not always
beneficial for all.
Marginalized and
vulnerable groups
often tolerate
services designed for
the wealthy, have no
form of citizenship or
right of access to the
city’s benefits

Fig: Taxonomy of children’s vulnerabilities

related to the built environment
WAYS OF MAKING CHILD FRIENDLY DESIGN

There are various process of making child friendly design in

neighbourhood and building scale. There are diffrerent studies of
design interventions within the physical environment that
encourage children’s everyday freedom to be actively mobile,
play, socialise, belong and connect to the natural and built
environment.
 Neighborhood Scale
 Building Scale
NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Car-Free Neighborhood
A neighbourhood that prioritises
pedestrians. One of the greatest
barriers preventing children from
freely playing outdoors is the
danger posed by traffic.
By prioritising pedestrians over
cars, a neighbourhood can
significantly improve the quality
of the outdoor environment for
children.

Fig : Car Free Zone

NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE
 Child Friendly Travel Routes
Safe travel routes that enable children’s active, independent
mobility. In order to ensure that children can safely walk to
school and communal play spaces, child-friendly travel routes
within neighborhoods must be considered.

Fig : Child Friendly Routes

NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Playable Streets
Laneways should be
designed for children
everyday play. When
we think about
streets, we often
automatically picture
a space for the
movement and
parking of cars

Fig : Playable Streets

NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Community Toolbox
With growing concerns
regarding the declining
number of children
playing in public parks,
communal “toy boxes”
are placed in public
plazas or parks with the
aim of stimulating play
in public spaces and
encouraging social
interaction between
Fig : Community Toolbox
parents.
NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Urban Play Yard

A communal space for
messy play within an
urban neighbourhood.
The parks are open and
free to all children
(above the age of six
children are welcome
to come on their own)
and many children will
stop by on a daily basis.
Fig : Urban Play Yard
NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Parent Salon
In order to ensure that
caregivers feel
connected and
supported within their
communities, or
“villages”, spatial
provisions must be
made to enable social
support and exchange
to occur.
Fig : Parent Salon
NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

 Intergenerational Play
1. Direct visibility to
playspaces from the
adjacent shops &
amenity
2. Spaces for children
located adjacent to
recreational spaces
for the elderly and
youth
3. Adjacent shaded
sitting areas Fig : Intergenerational Play
BUILDING SCALE

 Raised Garden
These raised gardens
become accessible green
networks between
buildings,
neighbourhoods and
public-transport nodes.
Importantly, it is vital to
consider how elevated
gardens are linked to one
another and how they can
be accessed from the
ground level. Fig : Raised Garden
BUILDING SCALE

 Outdoor Covered Play

1. Flexible covered
space on ground level
which spill out onto
adjacent open space
2. Direct visibility to
outdoor open play space
3. Playable elements
within common outdoor
space
4. Flexible furniture Fig : Covered Playarea
which can be configured
in different ways
BUILDING SCALE

 Playful Courtyards
Common outdoor
amenity for play and
socializing. Designing
communal residential
courtyards for play can
provide a vital amenity
for families who do not
have a private
backyard for children
Fig : Playful Courtyards
to enjoy.
BUILDING SCALE
 Child-Friendly Common Amenity

Communal indoor
spaces can provide
significant benefits to
residents living in
apartments, particularly
for those with children.
Common areas should
also allow for a range of Fig : Child Friendly Common Amenity
activities for various age 1. Direct access and visibility to common outdoor space
groups to ensure shared 2. Small kitchenette with sink
use and ownership. 3. Reading and study nooks
4. Shared storage of toys and books
5. Flexible space for gathering and common activities
BUILDING SCALE

 Playful Lobbies and Corridors

Playful lobbies are “In-

between” spaces that
encourage play. In the
same way that we should
consider streets and
laneways as spaces in
which people can linger
and play, we should Fig : Playful Corridors
apply the same thinking 1. Generously sized corridors and lobbies with natural
to the spaces dedicated light and ventilation
to movement within our 2. Space for small storage items such as shoes or books
buildings. 3. Integrated desk for study
4. Reading nooks
5. Display of artwork and personalized items
CONCLUSION
Planners, architects, councils and developers have significant
parts to play in ensuring that neighbourhoods are designed to
prioritise the health and wellbeing of children. This includes
creating cities that provide children with access to nature,
playable spaces, social connectedness, independent mobility
and a sense of ownership and agency.
 Benefits of Child Friendly Cities
 Encouraging physical activity through
everyday freedoms
 Accessible and intergenerational activities
 Strengthening evidence for healthier urban
environments
Health and Well Being
CONCLUSION
 Benefits of Child Friendly Cities
 More child-friendly, less car-friendly
 Safe and attractive streets for active
communities
 Addressing social fears and raising awareness
Safety

 Interaction between young and old

 Spending time together for longer
 Integrating play into sensitive contexts
 Reconciling urban segregation
Stronger Communities
CONCLUSION
 Benefits of Child Friendly Cities
 Wilder, more creative and flexible spaces
 A sense of belonging for the whole
community
 Connected green infrastructure networks
Nature and Sustainability

 Repurposing playable spaces for climate

resilience
 Providing for communities while responding
to threats
 Multifunctionality Resilence
RECOMMENDATION

 In order to ensure good child friendly cities, child-friendly

design strategies are considered in the development of
compact neighbourhoods, planning policy must be revisited
and design guidance provided to developers, planners and
architects.
 Since, there will be negative impacts on physical, social,
mental and creative skills of children if not planned properly.
So, child friendly planning is essential to make the
development in future as the children are considered to be
the pillars of the future.
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