Children's Outdoor Play in Two Neighbourhoods, the Netherlands

Playing outdoors is not only fun but also important for children s personal development. Since children spend most of their time playing in the close vicinity of the home, the set up of neighbourhood s public spaces is an important matter. Living in a child-friendly area, free of social- and traffic related hazards, can mean a lot to children s freedom to play around in the local area. In this book, four research methods and two neighbourhoods are used to examine the influence of the availability and organisation of public spaces in the neighbourhood on the outdoor playing behaviour of children. The results show that the layout of neighbourhoods does matter, inter alia for parents easiness of mind: an important factor in children s outdoor play. Thoughtful planning of public spaces can cause children to play outdoors in a safe, challenging and diverse environment with plenty of playmates and a certain level of independency and freedom of movement. This research is a valuable contribution to the field of human geography but is no less interesting for city planners, policy makers and sociologists. The multi method research approach makes it interesting for educational purposes.

Autorentext

Marloes van Kleef obtained her bachelor s degree in Human Geography and Planning at Utrecht University and graduated with honours under the interdisciplinary master s programme Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam in 2011.She was a member of a municipality-driven neighbourhood council and particularly involved in spatial planning issues.

Klappentext

Playing outdoors is not only fun but also important for children s personal development. Since children spend most of their time playing in the close vicinity of the home, the set up of neighbourhood s public spaces is an important matter. Living in a child-friendly area, free of social- and traffic related hazards, can mean a lot to children s freedom to play around in the local area. In this book, four research methods and two neighbourhoods are used to examine the influence of the availability and organisation of public spaces in the neighbourhood on the outdoor playing behaviour of children. The results show that the layout of neighbourhoods does matter, inter alia for parents easiness of mind: an important factor in children s outdoor play. Thoughtful planning of public spaces can cause children to play outdoors in a safe, challenging and diverse environment with plenty of playmates and a certain level of independency and freedom of movement. This research is a valuable contribution to the field of human geography but is no less interesting for city planners, policy makers and sociologists. The multi method research approach makes it interesting for educational purposes.