Childcare facilities in Malta : exploring accessibility, proximity to amenities and environmental hazards in urban contexts

Abstract

The quality of the built environment surrounding childcare facilities plays a critical role in shaping the daily experiences of children and their caregivers. This research acknowledges that there is an ever shifting urban development in densely built countries, a case seen throughout the Maltese islands and aims to look at how this impacts the lives on parents navigating this shift with their young children. This study explores a childcare facility set in each of three different contexts, namely residential, commercial and industrial within our urban environment, to explore how context influences access, proximity to amenities, mobility and environmental qualities. A multi-method qualitative methodology was used, consisting of parent/caregiver questionnaires, a focus group with the respective childcare facility owners and sensory walks across the three contexts. The insights gained from the questionnaires and focus group, were layered with the researcher’s own observations during the sensory walks, and compared across the three contexts to provide a perspective into each of the specific realities. The analysis was thematically organised around the emergent key topics from the feedback, namely pedestrian infrastructure and mobility, proximity to daily needs, environmental pollution (air, noise, and visual) and quality and presence of green/open space. The findings revealed that whilst parents were generally satisfied with the internal operations of the childcare centres, they expressed deep concerns about inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, limited access to open and green space and the broader car-oriented urban fabric. These challenges, although varied in significance across contexts, remained present throughout and led to reflections on the urban fabric across the island. This research is presented as a call for a more child and caregiver/parent oriented approach to urban planning in Malta.