Where not to live
If you and your kids sat down to invent the place you would least like to live, the list of features might include: nowhere to play, nowhere to go, nothing to do, no stores, no friends nearby, speeding traffic, lots of crime, and a long drive to school and back every day.
Few neighbourhoods have all these attributes, but many do have one or more that can be harmful to children's health. Areas with lots of car traffic have more air and noise pollution, and heavy traffic also poses a safety risk. In neighbourhoods without safe places to play, children have no opportunity to develop friendships, independence, and a sense of connection to their community. If there are no stores or facilities within walking distance, families do not get as much exercise because they have to drive everywhere.
Unhealthy neighbourhoods are built with these features for several reasons. In North America, the growing popularity of cars since World War II has led to the development of car-dependent suburbs and towns, where people have to drive in order to get anywhere. Healthier, more accessible neighbourhoods are often more expensive or more difficult to build, so developers may be reluctant to invest money and effort in child-friendly features if they do not have to. Perhaps most importantly, not enough people demand neighbourhoods with healthy features: they either do not know what to look for, or have simply never thought about it.
What makes a child-friendly community?
Colorado architect Harry Teague's Bill of Rights for Kids, quoted by several organizations with an interest in child-friendly planning, calls for communities that are:
- safe
- in appropriate scale
- accessible
- integrated: nature, the community, work, and different ages and sexes should all be part of the whole
- a manifestation of tradition
A child-friendly community is also sustainable, meaning that it helps protect the environment and will still be liveable and affordable years from now. Advocates of child-friendly cities and communities point out that a neighbourhood that's good for kids is good for the whole family and the whole community.
Location, location, location: Choosing a neighbourhood
Anyone looking for a new home has a lot of wants and needs to consider. These include size requirements, special features like air conditioning or wheelchair ramps, your family's lifestyle and future needs, and of course your budget. But it is also essential to choose the right location.
Many people already have a neighbourhood picked out when they start looking for a house or apartment. Perhaps you have lived there all your life, or you want to be close to family and friends, or you will be working nearby. Other people may spend a lot of time searching for a neighbourhood where they feel at home.
If you are considering a move, ask your kids for their input. What features are important to them? What do they want in their neighbourhood?
While some of them seem fairly obvious and some may not be priorities for you, the following questions can help you determine whether a neighbourhood will be a healthy, friendly place for you and your children to live.
Safety
- Is there a lot of traffic? What is the speed limit?
- Are there sidewalks on at least one side of every street?
- Are there bike lanes?
- Are there narrow streets to slow down drivers and help pedestrians and cyclists cross?
- On busier streets, are there many crosswalks and traffic lights?
- Are there "eyes on the street" - neighbours and workers who will keep an eye out for trouble and be able to give help if needed? Do homes have front porches and windows facing the street?
- Is there adequate street lighting?
Scale
- Are there high, blank walls, or is the streetscape welcoming?
- Are there playgrounds, alleys, and front porches?
- Is land used efficiently, with narrow roadways and reasonably sized lots? How far are the houses set back from the street?
- Are the blocks long or short? Longer blocks mean longer detours.
- Is it a pleasant place to walk or jog?
Accessibility
- Is it close enough to where children need and want to go - schools, parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities, places of worship, stores, libraries, movie theatres, friends, and family - for them to walk or bike there?
- For that matter, is it close enough for parents to walk, cycle, or take public transit to work? Can you use your car less, or not at all?
- Is it cut off by a major road or highway?
- Is it near public transportation that goes somewhere useful, or will kids have to take three different buses to get where they want to go?
- Are there bike paths that go somewhere? Are there places to park your bike when shopping or going to the library?
- Do other people walk or cycle?
Integration
- Do other kids live nearby?
- How easy is it for kids in the neighbourhood to play together in a casual, unstructured fashion?
- Can you and your family get to know neighbours and local shopkeepers?
- Does the neighbourhood have a mix of features like schools, parks, recreational facilities, places of worship, stores, library, doctor, dentist, and opportunities for after-school or summer jobs?
- Do people of different ages and backgrounds live in the area?
- Have natural areas in the neighbourhood been preserved?
- If your housing needs change, for instance if you have another child or your children leave home, will you be able to stay in the neighbourhood? Is there a mix of different housing types available - big houses, small houses, apartment buildings?
Tradition
- Are there monuments, landmarks, or natural areas that can anchor kids to their community?
- What are the future development plans for the area?
City, suburb, or small town?
Is it better to live in a suburb or a city, or out in the country? Is it better for kids to have green space or independence? It is tempting for urbanites to dismiss suburbs as the home of SUVs, shopping malls, and isolation, just as it is for suburbanites to think of cities as places of smog, decaying facilities, and crime. Neither stereotype gives the full picture. As the questions above show, healthy and unhealthy neighbourhoods are everywhere; the trick is recognizing one when you find it. Where you choose to live will depend on what you and your family need and value.
Working towards child-friendly communities
Ultimately, all neighbourhoods need to be healthy and inclusive for children. This will mean choosing and encouraging child-friendly neighbourhoods; improving existing neighbourhoods; and ensuring that new development takes children into account.
Can you and your children get involved in planning your community? Ask your children what they think is needed. The questions above can be a starting place to identify ways your neighbourhood could improve; for more exercises in figuring out what makes a community work, see A Kid's Guide to Building Great Communities, published by the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Encourage local planning authorities to consider children's needs in their guidelines, and indeed to involve children in the planning process.
There is a growing trend toward liveable, attractive, efficient, and accessible communities. It is important to ensure those communities meet the needs of children, not just adults. In that way, they'll be healthier for everyone, now and in the long term.
Robin Marwick
Writer/Editor
AboutKidsHealth