A discussion on child-friendly cities through a critique on the experience of the body

Abstract

Social changes resulting a significant shift in philosophical thinking in the renaissance brought the idea of individuality to the forefront, radically changing the social requirements and desires of individuals, the ideas of freedom of all individuals collectively, their relations with society and their environments, and also their participation in urban life. As a result of the industrialization activities, wars and migrations experienced in the twentieth century, this direct participation of the individual in the urban space was negatively affected. Especially due to globalization, the changing physical appearance and quality of life of metropolitan cities have created disconnections in human interactions with the city and their bodily experience with the environment. Monetary system which have dominated urban life, has taken business life to the forefront separating the residential fabric from the zones where business life develops, and accordingly lively streets have been surrendered to motor vehicles over time.

One of the social groups most affected by these changes, is the young generation. The cities where the scale has changed radically, the sacrificed areas were usually the recreational environments, and children's play areas. Within this context, it is also mentioned in the literature that adults (politicians, planners, and municipalities) easily ignore the fact that cities are also for children; the developmental characteristics of young people, their needs for age, play and experience necessary for their healthy growths are ignored.

Therefore, it should be admitted that cities should have a lot to offer children. It is necessary to organize the streets, to plan the transit routes of motor vehicles, redefine new speed limits, and re-evaluate the streets to make them pedestrian-friendly again taking into account the possibility of danger to children. So, as a part of the theoretical background discussed in the context of environment and behavior theories, the debate covers how the urbanites, children in particular –every urbanite is considered as a body in this paper– are affected by the rapid change of urban space.

Also, through the introduction of global models such as woonerf and home zone on how the city can regulate physical and social components that can contribute both to the socialization of adults and to children’s development and freedom in relation to their own age and needs, a fruitful insight is endeavored to be provided to the potential for these kinds of practices to be implemented in metropolitan cities especially in the residential fabric of cities.