Children in the city

Abstract

Child's play is a spatial and social activity, its contents and course being closely related to the whole of the child's living environment. Spatial limitation of playing in formal children's playgrounds is in contradiction with what the freedom of choice and a possibility to shape one's own environment mean to children. Children tend to play everywhere and anywhere. In urban areas children like choosing informal semi-public and public areas - such as streets, pavements, driveways or small green patches - for their play. Regardless, the fact that space is used by children differently than by adults, such planning could improve the quality of the environment also for the majority of other users.