Children's Independent Mobility: A Study of Middle Childhood Home Ranges in Two Different Socio-Physical Settings in El-Shorouk City, Egypt

Abstract

Independent mobility has a positive impact on children’s cognitive, physical, and social development. Many factors affect how children utilize spaces surrounding their homes. The characteristics of both the physical and the social environments are important influencing factors. The aim of this study was to explore children’s independent mobility and free exploration within their home range extent. The study investigated children’s home range extent and independent mobility-related activities in two different settings selected to represent two of the most common socio-physical contexts in the new settlements being developed around Cairo. Methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews with children and parents in addition to neighborhood walk-through observations. The forty children interviewed were categorized into two age groups, 7 to 9 and 10 to 12-year-old and included an equal number of girls and boys. The findings of the study appear to confirm the influence of gender, age, socio-economic context, and physical characteristics of the neighborhood environment on middle-aged children’s independent mobility in the Egyptian context. The study suggests that land use diversity and residential density are issues that are closely related to parents’ perceptions about the safety of their children around the neighborhood and need to be carefully considered in the planning of new settlements and housing projects.