Spaces and places for children and young people living in Gozo

Abstract

Although so far Gozo has been spared the massive and rapid development taking place in Malta, the impact of the development may be more significant in view of the island’s environmental vulnerability, limited size, population density and limited resources. This study explored the views of children, adolescents and parents in Gozo on the quality, safety, cleanliness and accessibility of the play, nature and leisure-time spaces in their towns and villages. A sample of 191 children (8 - 11 year old) and adolescents (12 - 16 year old) and 316 parents completed a survey examining their views on, and satisfaction with the various aspects of their locality. This paper presents the findings of the study, describing how satisfied children, adolescents and parents are with the play, nature and open spaces in their locality, including accessibility, safety, cleanliness, as well as their say and participation in their locality. While participants in Gozo appear to be more satisfied with their localities than those in Malta, they expressed less satisfaction with particular areas in their locality, and made various suggestions on how their localities may be embellished and become more child-friendly.